SSIF Seminar, Health Assessment Pathways

Irvana Davies • September 16, 2024

Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) invite Parent Carers of Children with SEND to our first of six Seminars during this academic year on Friday 11th October.


‘Health Assessment Pathways’ is the first in a series of valuable and informative events for ParentCarers that will run throughout the year.


This seminar is aimed at ParentCarers of children with SEND who may need information and  support regarding accessing Health Services. The Seminar will cover questions such as:


  • How do I access the Lighthouse Centre?
  • Do I need to involve my GP?
  • What happens in my appointment?
  • What role does the school play?
  • Who are CAMHS and can I access them?

Plus, any additional questions you may have*


We have a panel of professionals from the Lighthouse Centre, a Designated Clinical Officer, a representative from the Local Authority, among other special guests. They will talk about how they can support you and your child through the processes and meetings.


*We are inviting ParentCarers to submit any questions they have for the panel by Monday 30th September 2024, via email to jody@southendsendindependentforum.org.uk.


There will also be an opportunity for people to participate in a co-production session to develop a useful route map/flow chart of the Health Assessment Pathways.



Book your ticket here.

SEND Information Day - 16th June 2026

March 9, 2026
Event details SEND Information Day Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF) and the SEND Local Offer Team are pleased to announce the second Southend SEND Information Day on Tuesday 16 June 2026. This is a free event for the Southend SEND community. It is open to parent carers or family members of children or young people with SEND, and professionals. Venue: Southend Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER Time: 9.30am to 2.30pm Hold the date - further information to follow soon! For a taste of what to expect at the event in June, read about the 2025 SEND Information Day and watch videos here . Pre-register for the event! You can just drop-in on the day, but why not make things easier and pre-register?! Get advance information about the event direct to your inbox, so you can plan your visit and make the most of your time.

SEND Reform Engagement and Listening Events

March 4, 2026
As Southend’s Parent Carer Forum, Southend SEND Independent Forum (SSIF), we encourage you to share your experiences — your voice really matters in shaping support for our children and young people. We’re hosting informal drop-in sessions at Southend Civic Centre during the consultation period specifically to gather your feedback and thoughts on the proposed changes, so we can reflect the real views of parent carers in our response. Please come along to share your views or ask any questions — we’d love to see you there. The SEND Partnership is also hosting an information Event and will present an overview of the key proposed changes, highlight the areas the government is consulting on, and empower parent carers with the information needed to share their views with confidence. The SEND Partnership will require pre-booking tickets and you can do that here, tickets .
An advertisement for a coffee and chat event

SSIF Coffee Mornings

March 2, 2026
One of our favourite Events is our regular monthly coffee morning, where Parent Carers can get together to share their experiences. Every month we have the Local Offer team with us and invite 1 or 2 additional special guests from for example Health, Social Care, Education and more, to offer guidance and advice. *Please note that the coffee mornings for 2026 will temporarily be held at the Civic Centre and will again return to SAVS in September 2026* Come along and chat to other ParentCarers, get advice from one of our SEND support service guests and enjoy a hot drink with something sweet. Booking is not required.

SSIF SEND Reform drop-in Sessions

February 27, 2026
We will be hosting a series of informal drop-in sessions for parent carers to share views and ask questions about the Government SEND reform proposals and consultation. The Government's Schools White Paper, Every child achieving and thriving was published on Monday 23 February 2026. The Paper sets out proposed reforms to the schools and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system in England. The Government's consultation on the proposed reforms is open until 18 May. You can read the proposals and share your views here: SEND reform: putting children and young people first - Department for Education - Citizen Space As Southend's Parent Carer Forum, we encourage parent carers to engage with the consultation. To support this, we are hosting informal drop‑in sessions where you can share your views and ask questions. All sessions will be held in Southend Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend, SS2 6ER on the following dates: Friday 13 March, 9.30am to 10.30am Committee Room 2 Tuesday 17 March, 9.30am to 10.30am Committee Room 2 Monday 23 March, 12.30pm to 1.30pm Committee Room 3 Thursday 23 April, 10.30am to 11.30am Committee Room 7 Friday 1 May, 12.30pm to 1.30pm, Committee Room 7 Monday 11 May, 10am to 11am, Committee Room 4  The Southend SEND Area Partnership are also hosting an information session about the proposed SEND reforms on Friday 17 April 9.30am to 10.30am at Southend Civic Centre (Jubilee Room). You can book a place on that event here .