Questions about getting help, SEND, school and NHS pathways.

Yes. In Your Corner is free to families.

Our initial service area is Kent & Medway.

SEND and NHS pathways use different age boundaries. We currently check the relevant pathway during the scope assessment rather than applying one blanket age cut-off to every issue.

No. A diagnosis is not required just to ask whether we can help.

No. Many SEND and school-access problems happen before an EHCP exists.

No. Sometimes early clarification or evidence gathering is more useful than immediately filing a complaint.

You should normally receive an automatic acknowledgement when your enquiry reaches us. The acknowledgement confirms receipt only; it does not mean the case has been accepted. We aim to review new enquiries and respond within 2 working days.

No. Acceptance depends on scope, capacity, conflict and suitability, and must be expressly confirmed by In Your Corner. We will confirm any agreed advocacy work and authority separately.

We deliberately limit active cases. If we cannot take your case, we will tell you and, where reasonably possible, identify another route.

We consider SEND and EHCP issues, school access, neurodevelopmental pathways, NHS Right to Choose and selected NHS or public-service complaints in Kent and Medway. We may help clarify a decision, identify missing evidence, prepare correspondence or organise the next step. Explore the support areas and service boundaries.

Email hello@inyourcorner.org.uk with a short summary, the organisation involved, the outcome you want and any deadline. Include enough to understand the issue, not a full evidence pack. If you include SEND or health information, follow the explicit-consent guidance below.

A professional can ask whether the issue is within scope. Involve the family and establish the appropriate permission before sharing identifiable information; do not send sensitive records speculatively. A referral does not guarantee acceptance. See information for professionals.

Tell us the exact deadline in your first message. Our response aim is not a guarantee that urgent work can be taken on, and an enquiry does not transfer responsibility for the deadline. If time is short, continue seeking appropriate help and protect the relevant appeal or complaint route. We are not an emergency service; call 999 if there is immediate danger.

Potentially. If the case is accepted and direct communication is appropriate, we will agree the scope and record authority before substantive third-party communication. Authority to communicate is not the same thing as data-protection consent; relevant special-category processing is agreed through a separate accepted-case consent process.

No. Nobody should honestly promise that. We can improve how clearly the evidence and questions are presented and use the appropriate route.

Not as part of the current service. We do not conduct litigation or act as solicitors.

You remain responsible for statutory, complaint, appeal and court deadlines unless In Your Corner expressly agrees in writing to take responsibility for a specific action.

We confirm acceptance and agree the issue, tasks, responsibilities and information needed. Relevant casework consent and any authority to communicate are recorded separately. We then work through the agreed evidence and next steps. See how the process works.

Potentially. Depending on the accepted scope and capacity, we may help organise evidence, prepare questions or draft focused correspondence. Meeting preparation does not automatically include attendance; any attendance must be expressly agreed. The meeting tool can also be used independently.

No. We help you understand options and explain our recommendations, including uncertainty. We agree actions rather than assuming permission. Children’s and young people’s own views and decision-making rights also matter. See our code of ethics.

Yes. Tell us if you want to stop or change the agreed work. We should clarify outstanding tasks and deadlines and discuss any necessary handover. Withdrawing processing consent and record retention are separate questions explained in the Privacy Notice.

Start with the issue, desired outcome, organisation and deadline. Do not send unnecessary medical records, full EHCP bundles, social-care documents, safeguarding evidence or other sensitive documents unless we request them and agree how they should be shared.

If IYC accepts your case, acceptance is confirmed separately and a separate accepted-case consent process is used to agree relevant special-category processing. Authority to communicate with schools, local authorities, NHS organisations, GPs or other services is recorded separately and limited to the agreed scope.

Authority to communicate is not the same thing as data-protection consent. Initial-enquiry consent does not replace the accepted-case consent process. See the Privacy Notice.

Access and sharing should be limited to the purpose and the people who need the information. The Privacy Notice explains authorised personnel, recipients, storage, retention and your rights. We do not need every document simply because it exists.

Ordinary advocacy contact must be within the agreed authority. Safeguarding or other lawful disclosures can involve different considerations; confidentiality is not absolute. Our Safeguarding Statement explains when relevant information may need to be shared and when families should be told.

Not currently. In Your Corner is an independent, volunteer-led project and is exploring formal charitable registration.

No. In Your Corner is an independent, volunteer-led project. We may communicate with those organisations as part of agreed advocacy, but do not make their decisions. Read our mission.

We will listen and take concerns seriously, but we will not knowingly present an unsupported claim as established fact. We explain evidence gaps and disagreements respectfully. Honest advice sometimes means recommending a different action. See our ethical commitments.

Another service may have specialist expertise, a statutory role or capacity that better fits part of the problem. Signposting can complement IYC’s support; it does not automatically end agreed work. We should explain the reason and be clear about who is responsible for the next step.

We consider personal connections, previous involvement and competing interests. A conflict may require safeguards, a different person or declining involvement. We should explain the relevant issue without disclosing somebody else’s confidential information. The code of ethics applies to the founder too.

Use the complaints procedure for service concerns. Concerns about possible harm or someone working with IYC may need the safeguarding route instead, including an external route. A concern about the founder must not be finally determined by him as his own safeguarding investigation.