What can SEND HUGS do for you?

When you first know or suspect that your child may be neurodivergent, all sorts of questions go through your mind, from the profound (“Will my child ever be able to live independently?”) to the more mundane (“How will I get him to eat his vegetables?”). So what can SEND HUGS do for you?

You know your child best!

You are the expert on your own child. Nobody knows them as well as you do, and nobody cares about their happiness and wellbeing as much as you do.

However, our children haven’t read the parenting books. They often do not respond well to traditional parenting techniques. We may find ways to parent them which work for us, but relatives, schools, and even our friends can be critical.

And then there are the days when nothing works. On those days, we can feel that we have failed as parents.

Sometimes we all need a bit of help to get out of a rut and find a different way that will work for us and our family.

Parenting courses are often aimed at the parents of neurotypical children. I have even been sent on courses where the first thing I’ve been told is that the techniques I’m going to be taught are not suitable for autistic children!

Through tailored coaching, you can learn more about why some of the advice other people have given you may not have worked with your child, and why experts recommend a different approach for neurodivergent children.

How does it work?

SEND HUGS offers blame-free one hour coaching sessions which are tailored to your child and their needs.

I can help you understand what’s happening when things go wrong, and guide you in working out a plan to support your child’s behaviour and emotional regulation.

It can be hard to get away if you have a child with severe separation anxiety, and often the only time you have to yourself can be outside normal business hours.

As a busy working parent myself, I understand the need to juggle work with childcare.

We can arrange to meet at times that are suitable for you, including evenings and weekends. Sessions can be held face to face (within a 15 mile radius of Chesham) or online via Zoom.

For busy working parents, there is also an option of shorter, half hour online sessions which can be held during your lunch break.

Pricing: Initial 20 minute consultation free, then £60 per hour of one-to-one coaching, £35 per half hour lunchtime session, or purchase a block of 6 hours (to include at least two one hour full sessions with the rest being full or lunchtime sessions) for £330.

Getting support at school

The world of SEND is a minefield of jargon and confusion. The law is complex and is often not followed by local authorities and schools which are desperately short of resources.

SEND HUGS can help you in a number of ways to get the support that your child needs at school. These include:

  • preparing for meetings at school to discuss the support your child needs

  • reviewing emails, letters and other documents and helping you to prepare a suitable answer

  • helping to prepare applications for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and other support

The aim of this support is to show you what needs to be done and how to do it. I do not want to swoop in, run the meeting or write the letter for you and leave you as helpless as you were before - this would be more expensive for you, and you would be no better off the next time an issue came up.

SEND HUGS aims to give you the knowledge and confidence to stand up for your child yourself and get the results that you need without having to keep paying someone to do it for you.

How does it work?

This offering usually starts with a free, no obligation 20 minute consultation to talk about your situation and what help you need.

We will then agree a package which will typically include:

  • a fact-finding meeting to talk about your child’s history and current needs

  • research including a review of any emails, letters and other documents you are able to provide

  • writing a report or other document which will include a plan of who you need to talk to next and how to get the help your child needs. Examples of the documents that I have prepared in the past include draft letters and emails, and meeting agendas with backing information to help you control the meeting

  • another meeting to talk through the report/other documents and give you a chance to ask any further questions.

The cost of this package depends on the amount of work involved, but the price will be agreed with you up front and will usually be between £150 and £300.

Community of HUGS

As a parent myself, I know that what you really need when your child is struggling is often not one-off advice, but ongoing help, understanding, guidance and support.

Friends who have trodden this road can be invaluable, but are often dealing with their own struggles just when you’re tearing your hair out. Other friends and family can be well-meaning, but unable to advise on specific issues, and mainstream parenting advice often doesn’t hit the spot for our neurodivergent children.

The Community of HUGS is a membership service with three different levels of connection, to suit different budget levels.

The aim is that you should not pay more each month than you would for meeting up once with a friend, and the membership levels reflect that.

There is no minimum subscription period, and you can continue your membership for as long or short a time as you wish.

Coming soon!

You hear a lot about EHCPs (Education, Health and Care Plans) and how difficult it is to get one.

Schools are overstretched and may not always recognise the extent of your child’s needs. With limited resources, they will concentrate first on the children with the ‘loudest’ needs - the ones whose needs are very clear and obvious to all.

They may try to put you off applying, telling you that your child doesn’t need an EHCP or that the local authority will never grant one.

They may be right - but they are not always!

Local authorities also have a number of ways to obstruct applications and put parents off applying for an EHCP.

The truth is, applications can be made by parents and their applications are often successful.

But how do you do it, what should you include, and what are your and your child’s rights?

I spent several years waiting for someone else to apply for my children’s EHCPs, before finally taking the plunge and submitting successful applications myself, obtaining training in SEND law to ensure the best possible outcome.

From October 2025, SEND HUGS will be running in person workshops to guide parents through the process of applying for an EHCP.

Watch this space!