Information, Advice & Support Service (IASS)

The Information, Advice & Support Service (IASS) provides free confidential and impartial advice, information and support to parents/carers, children and young people, who have, or may have, Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) in Bracknell Forest (you will need to live in and pay your council tax to Bracknell Forest Council).  Please visit our website https://www.bracknellforestiass.co.uk where you will find information about the type of support we offer, an introduction to the team, policies, factsheets and a range of documents and information which we hope you will find useful.   

Types of support we can offer include:

Free, confidential and impartial information and advice on a range of topics including:

• Support for special educational needs in schools
• Support for medical conditions in schools
• Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans (including how to request, how to be involved in the process, how to review your child’s EHC plan)
• Education Transport
• Appealing a local authority decision (including mediation)
• Signposting

Please do email us on iass@bracknell-forest.gov.uk for more information or to arrange a convenient time to talk.   We aim to empower young people and parents to be involved in decisions and meetings about their or their child’s special educational needs.  Occasionally, in more complex situations and diary permitting, we may be able to meet face to face or provide impartial support at meetings directly or via one of our volunteers.

If you are aged 25 or under and would like to access information, advice and support directly, rather than through your parents, we have a Child’s and Young Person’s case worker who can offer this service. The same types of support as are mentioned above are offered, but the delivery of the service is adapted to make it relevant and accessible to children and young people. This part of our service can be accessed using our general contact details.

In addition to using our service, if you have a general query you may wish to call Contact's SEN National Helpline on: 0808 808 3555