Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999

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SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and the Local Offer

The Health Visiting service supports all children and young people including those with additional health needs to achieve their potential; by ensuring that families are supported and have access to early help and support.

If your child has a health or developmental condition that is impacting on their everyday life, this is often referred to as an additional need. This may have been present from birth or these may have become more obvious as your child grows up.

The Health Visiting Service can assess and refer children on to other appropriate services depending on their need and they can support you to access voluntary agencies as well as statutory services.

If you’re new to SEND then knowing where to start finding support can be overwhelming. Your child may have just been diagnosed with SEND, or may be in the process of being assessed. Or perhaps you’ve just started to notice that your child or young person is developing, behaving, or learning differently to their peers. The Local Offer website gives you the right information at the right time to support you and your family.

Visit the Hertfordshire Local Offer Website

ChatHealth Logo

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-5 years called ChatHealth. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a health visitor within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the service reopens.

  • ChatHealth messaging service:

    text

    07480 635164
  • Family Centre Service (Health Visiting and Family Support):

    phone

    0300 123 7572

Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.

This page was last reviewed on 16-02-2023

This page will be next reviewed on 16-02-2026