A question asked by many? People often assume SEND advocacy should be free and emotionally, that makes sense. You’re fighting for your CYP and other families are fighting for basic legal entitlements, not luxuries. But the reality is more complex, and it has nothing to do with greed or gatekeeping certainly from SEN Parent Support Group’s perspective and values! 1. Advocacy exists because the system fails Local authorities are legally responsible for delivering lawful SEND processes. When they don’t, families turn to advocates who end up doing the work the state should have done in the first place. That work is: It’s not “helping with forms”; it’s specialist legal navigation. I often feel like a Solicitor!! 2. SEND advocacy requires advanced legal and procedural expertise Effective advocacy means understanding: This is professional‑level expertise. In any other field, this would be recognised as paid legal work and unless you have a para legal as a best friend or a solicitor within the SEND sector then this will be expensive. 3. The workload is huge and most of it is invisible Advocates – well I can only speak for myself really – spend hours reviewing unlawful EHCPs, clinical reports and rewriting Sections B and F, preparing Section K evidence lists, drafting letters, and supporting families in crisis. If all of this were free, the demand would overwhelm the supply instantly! 4. SEN Parent Support Group already provides a huge amount for FREE And this is the part people often don’t see. Ten administrators and moderators SEN Parent Support Group is run by 10 SEND parents, all of whom give their time completely free, every single day, 24/7. They are juggling their own children’s needs, their own battles, and still show up to support thousands of others. That is advocacy. That is unpaid labour. And it is extraordinary. Without them I would not be able to offer 1:1 support at the heavily subsidised costs that I do! Ask Andrea sessions are free too Families also get free clarity, direction, and next‑step guidance through your Ask Andrea sessions something many organisations would charge for. This alone saves families hundreds of pounds in unnecessary consultations. You need to be in group and check your notifications – so an active member within our closed fb group to ensure you do not miss out! 5.The SEN Journal: free next steps, checklists, and real‑time support Your SEN Journal blogs are another major piece of free advocacy that people often underestimate. They provide: These blogs are essentially free advocacy in written form available 24/7, updated in real time, and designed to empower parents to take confident, lawful action without needing paid support. For many families, the SEN Journal is their first lifeline. 6. Paid 1:1 support is subsidised and it works When families need deeper, hands‑on support, I offer 1:1 Mentor Support that is: and is supported by draft emails, complaints, needs identifiers plus much more, and the proof is public our Google reviews speak for themselves. People aren’t paying for “help”; they’re paying for expertise that gets results. 7. The government has never funded independent SEND advocacy Unlike social care advocacy (which is funded), SEND advocacy has: So the entire sector is held up by individuals & volunteers. Be wise when choosing support always check out reviews and do your research, this is not a regulated arena! 8. The Resource Hub Membership: everything a SEND parent will ever need Alongside all the free support we already provide, we created something that genuinely changes the game for families: the Resource Hub Membership. For £9.99, parents get access to a complete, centralised library of tools that would cost hundreds elsewhere. It’s designed so families never have to hunt, guess, or panic about what to do next. Some organisations charge £24.00 per letter download, our resource hub gives you in excess of 400 tangible resources and 8 CPD SEND Parent Training modules for far less! The Resource Hub includes: It’s essentially a SEND survival kit, built by people who understand the system inside out and know exactly what parents need at each stage. For many families, the membership becomes their: And at £9.99, it’s intentionally priced so that every parent regardless of income can access high‑quality, lawful guidance without financial strain. It’s not just a resource hub. It’s empowerment, packaged. 9. The SEN Support Tracker App: a FREE parental advocacy tool Another major piece of support SEN Parent Support Group provide – at no cost – is the SEN Support Tracker App at www.sensupporttrackerapp.org. This tool gives parents something the SEND system has never offered them: a simple, structured way to track their child’s needs, provision, evidence, and progress in one place. The app helps families: It’s essentially a digital case file, designed to empower parents with the organisation and clarity that local authorities often rely on them not having. This was designed by SEN Parent Support Group and we repeat it is FREE TO USE! It is linked to our resource hub but you are free to upload your own letters and information to attach and submit. For many families, this app becomes: And it’s 100% free, because we believe every parent deserves access to the tools that make advocacy possible not just those who can afford them. The TRUTH Advocacy isn’t free because the system benefits from it not being free. If every family had access to skilled, independent advocacy, local authorities would be held to account at scale — and that would be expensive. Sadly, it is the way the world works! Until that changes, groups like SEN Parent Support Group and our Website are filling a national gap with a mix of: It’s not just fair it’s generous considering the alternatives. Should you require 1:1 Support then please click here: Request for subsidised Mentor Support If you would like to join our SEN Parent Support closed FB group click here: Peer Support and Mentorship Below is a sample of our latest SEN Journal Blogs for easy