for Special Educational Needs and Disability

Young People

We offer information, advice and support to young people.

Supporting young people in Devon

  • Are you under 25?
  • Do you live in Devon?
  • Do you need some help at school?
  • Do you have a special educational need or disability?
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Free

Our service is completely free, you don't have to pay

Impartial

We don't make judgments and we don't take sides

Confidential

Most of the time, you can choose who we tell about what you have said

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How we help

Some ways we can help...

  • We can help you share your views at a meeting, like an EHC plan review.
  • Advise you on what to do if you don't agree with a decision.
  • Give you the facts and clear information, through our website.
  • Tell you about other organisations and services that can help you.

The law says children and young people have the right to get information, advice and support for themselves. That’s why we’re here.

We have 3 Children and Young People Workers, Anna, Emily and Maria. 

Contact us

Here to help

Meet the team

Maria

I research and write information for our website. I also give advice and support to young people. This can be on the phone, by zoom or in person.
Find out more here

Anna

I work 1:1 with young people to help you have a say on what’s going on in your lives. I also work with adults (like your parents or carers, and other professionals like support workers) to help them understand why your voice is so important, and help them work with you so your views are always heard.
Contact Anna

Emily

I work with children and young people. I'm here to support you get your voice heard with the things that affect you. I can arrange to call you, meet on Zoom or in person if you'd like my support. You can get in touch with me by clicking below.
Contact Emily

We’re here to listen to you! We won’t tell you what to do. We won’t judge or take sides. You can get in touch with us by phone or by using our contact form.

You can get information to help you make choices and decisions by using this website.

We can also offer you 1-1 support with things like:

 

 

  • We have helped some young people apply for help from adult social care.
  • We have supported young people to attend school meetings and share their views.
  • We have helped some young people make return to school plans after being out of school for some time. 
  • We have helped young people ask for the help they think they need to make school work best for them. 
  • We have explained what an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) is and how to make an application for an assessment. 
  • We have helped young people share their thoughts and views on why they find it difficult to attend school and what might help. 

Here to help

Your feedback is really important to us

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Here are some ways we'll use it.

  • It will help us improve the way we work with you. We want to do the best job we can to get the help and support you need.
  • We'll use what you tell us to talk to other services that help young people, so they also know what you want or need from them.
  • We'll use your feedback to tell other young people what you've found useful. That way they too can benefit from what you tell us.

You can give us feedback using this website, completing a feedback questionnaire or by talking to us.

  • You Said

We can work with you in different ways, including face to face. We always ask how you would prefer to talk to us.

We’ve made information for the website to help you prepare for meetings. We’ll always encourage you to say things yourself if you feel able, but we fully understand if you’d prefer us to talk on your behalf. If you’d like us to talk we always agree with you what we’ll say before saying it.

We work closely with our managers, Sue and Amy, to tell the right people in the local authority (Devon County Council) the sort of things young people are happy or unhappy with. Our feedback to them is anonymous, so no one can be identified. We work hard to get your voice heard by people who make some of the decisions about what happens in schools, in local services as well as some health services here in Devon. This is called strategic feedback. 

We are here to help

Get in touch today and let’s discuss ways to support you.
Contact us

Page reviewed: April 2024
Page due for review: April 2026

DiAS (Devon, Information, Advice and Support) supports children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and their parents and carers.

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