Updated 14 October 2026. SENDPath helps parents find information and prepare for conversations with services. It is not a clinical, legal or benefits-advice service. The whole guide library and directory have not received independent professional review.
What a date on a page means
- Published: when the page was first made available.
- Updated: when content changed. A correction, layout edit or new link is not evidence that every claim was rechecked.
- Source checked: the linked information was examined on that date for the scope described. Services and rules may change afterwards.
- Professional review: only a specifically credited, appropriately qualified reviewer’s stated work would establish this. A SENDPath byline or editorial source check does not.
How we check consequential information
For a source check, we start with the organisation responsible for the information: government and legislation for statutory rules; the NHS and NICE for care pathways and clinical guidance; the actual service or funder for access criteria; and the original study or trial registry for research claims.
We check whether a source supports the claim being made, including the population, age, location, study design and date. A paper about a different condition is not a valid citation. A withdrawn protocol is not a completed review, and a retracted study should not be used as evidence of benefit.
Research findings are not treatment recommendations for an individual child. Early studies, subgroup analyses and company announcements have limits that need to be visible. UK availability and approval must be distinguished from decisions in other countries.
AI-assisted tools have been used to prepare and check parts of this site. These tools can make mistakes, including in references. A source link, polished wording or an automated technical check cannot establish that a claim is correct.
Regular source rechecks
Selected sources are scheduled for regular rechecks: changing NHS assessment information and grant application windows daily; selected benefit rules, SEND guidance, clinical recommendations and trial records weekly. When a source changes, the related information needs to be examined before a guide is revised. A check running successfully does not renew a page’s review date.
These checks cannot catch every change or error. Documents can be replaced without changing their links, and a source can itself be outdated. If a page cannot be accessed, that is recorded as a checking limit; it is not evidence that a service has closed or a rule has changed. Automated source checks do not replace qualified professional review.
Scope of the September checks
The first September audit was targeted, not a certification of the whole site. Checks included current NHS Kent and Medway assessment information, selected local therapy and advice routes, the 13 services on the children’s speech-therapy page, selected benefits and SEND rights claims, and references in research guides. Individual page corrections below describe the findings.
The broader 22 September review covers guide wording, public directory information, tools and navigation. It is AI-assisted editorial work, not independent clinical, legal, welfare-rights or provider-quality approval. Where current provider facts could not be established, the entry now says what remains unconfirmed. The finder and comparison tool treat availability reports older than 30 days as unconfirmed; even a recent report is not a reserved appointment.
Material corrections
14 October 2026 — Newlife application-window announcement
We updated the Newlife section of the grants guide and its timing FAQ after the charity announced its next funding window is due to open on 2 November. The guide previously said no reopening date had been stated. The planned date is not confirmation that applications are open or a promise of funding. This is a focused source update, not a new review of every grant scheme.
6 October 2026 — pencil-topper age guidance
We corrected the ARK Brick Stick pencil-topper card from ages 3+ to the maker’s stated ages 6+ and linked the exact topper instructions. The earlier card had used the necklace’s age guidance. Supervision, inspection and replacement warnings remain. This focused correction does not establish suitability for a child or qualified clinical review.
5 October 2026 — Medway NHS routes and research updates
The Medway support section now explains the transfer of former MCH services to KCHFT and links directly to current Medway therapy criteria. We retained the supported speech-referral age and contact number, but removed unconfirmed descriptions of the OT duty desk and first assessment stage.
The NTI164 Phase 3 section and research overview now distinguish revised study plans from published results. The registry still says not yet recruiting; the update is not evidence of benefit or UK availability.
5 October 2026 — NICE sleep-guidance conditions
We corrected the melatonin guide’s opening NICE summary: persistent sleep problems must negatively affect both the child and their family or carers. The summary now also states the specified specialist consultation and continued non-drug support. This focused correction is not qualified clinical review; individual prescribing decisions require the child’s clinician.
29 September 2026 — chew-tool instruction limits
We corrected a Chewigem summary card in the chew-tool guide that still displayed a specific age limit and implied current manufacturer instructions had been verified. The card now carries the same unresolved-instructions warning as the main text and FAQ. We also distinguished ARK’s replacement rule from the need to obtain other makers’ exact instructions, and made the checking limits clearer in the page description. This focused correction does not approve a product or replace qualified clinical review.
28 September 2026 — hearing protection and individual support
We clarified the headphone guide and sensory-product summaries to distinguish general NHS hyperacusis advice from an autistic child’s individual sensory support plan. We removed absolute all-day prohibitions from two comparison cards and carried the qualification through the table, summaries and FAQ. This article should not be used to withdraw an established school or clinical accommodation; discuss changes with the child, family and relevant team. This was a focused source clarification, not qualified clinical review or a new check of every product.
25 September 2026 — Family Fund application restriction
We updated the Family Fund section of the grants guide after the charity changed who can apply to its England SFDC programme. We replaced the former repeat-application interval and qualified the funding summaries in the behaviour, occupational-therapy and speech-therapy cost guides. Other schemes have separate rules. This focused source update does not establish individual eligibility or professional approval.
23 September 2026 — NHS assessment directory summary
The KCHFT entry in the mental-health directory still repeated older waiting-time figures after the assessment guides had been updated. We removed that stale summary and linked the entry to the explanation of current published waits and their limits. We also qualified its age and area labels and clarified the position for children already accepted onto the pathway. Confirm individual referral eligibility and appointment dates with the service. This was a focused editorial correction, not a new professional review.
22 September 2026 — practical first steps for parents
The first-steps guide after diagnosis now correctly describes the printed DLA application route, treats the Local Offer as public information rather than mandatory registration, and qualifies the six-week EHC assessment decision period. We removed unsupported experience claims and a fixed post-diagnosis timetable. New everyday-help routes and communication, routine and parent-support suggestions use linked NHS guidance; they do not establish individual suitability or qualified clinical review.
These entries explain changes that could affect how a parent understands or uses the information. They are not a complete record of formatting or spelling edits.
22 September 2026 — local services and school records
We corrected directory names, locations, published age ranges and contact routes against the responsible organisation’s information. Two school entries, Cherry Tree and Fairlight Glen, now explain the closure recorded by the Department for Education instead of presenting an active placement option. Other entries distinguish registered age ranges from admission criteria and available places. Unconfirmed practitioner details remain unconfirmed; a listing is not a recommendation.
The assessment comparison now distinguishes published NHS waits for different stages and flags a separate, conflicting NHS estimate. Neither is a promised appointment date. Named private fees describe the stated service and inclusions, rather than an unsupported market-wide price range.
22 September 2026 — guides, research and commercial claims
We removed unsupported personal testimonies, success promises and claims that private reports or therapy are inherently better. The educational psychology cost guide now starts with school and local-authority routes, then a clearly attributed private-fee example. Rights and benefits pages distinguish current rules, proposals, separate jurisdictional routes and case-specific decisions. Health summaries preserve study and UK-care limitations; these corrections do not establish that an intervention is suitable for a child.
Product guides and hub cards now make their advertising relationship clearer, remove unverified product-testing and treatment claims, and explain free alternatives and product-specific safety checks. Current models, seller details and availability still need checking before purchase.
22 September 2026 — preparation tools and saved information
The letter generator distinguishes asking a council to reconsider from lodging a Tribunal appeal, preserves the user’s entered recipient, and qualifies suggested reply periods. The DLA preparation tool does not predict an award. Diary exports include the actual recorded date range, including entries outside the fortnight overview; a blank day is not treated as a day without care needs.
The cost planner shows calculation assumptions and rejects invalid amounts. Clear-data controls check that browser-stored information was removed before reporting success. Saved comparisons use current public facts where available and label missing comparison records. These tools organise information on your device and do not submit applications or determine entitlement.
7 September 2026 — health and research references
In the diet guide, we removed a retracted vitamin D trial as evidence of benefit, corrected a review summary and added advice about coeliac testing before removing gluten. We repaired unrelated citation links in that guide and the bumetanide and music therapy guides. The stem-cell guide now more accurately describes trial participants, comparison groups and uncertain subgroup findings.
The sleep guide also corrects an earlier description of a withdrawn Cochrane protocol as a completed positive review. We checked 48 distinct PubMed records linked from 21 guides. That reference check does not establish that every research claim is correct or that any intervention is suitable for an individual child.
A further check corrected the microbiome guide on inconsistent research findings, FMT trial results and UK regulation, trial recruitment status and probiotic precautions. The hyperbaric oxygen guide now distinguishes NHS England funding from other clinical uses, explains the limited Cochrane evidence base and removes unverified typical prices. Selected numerical results and trial histories in the neurofeedback guide and 2026 research overview were also checked; some full-paper and specialist appraisal remains outstanding.
7 September 2026 — EHCPs, attendance and transport
We corrected the EHCP application guide on assessment advice, draft-plan contents and deadlines, and added the amended-plan deadline to the annual review guide. The school transport guide now distinguishes eligibility from having an EHCP and explains the council appeal route.
The school attendance guide corrects overstatements about attendance rules, assessment eligibility and education otherwise than at school. The reform explainer now distinguishes proposed transition arrangements from current legal rights.
We then corrected six further guides covering Section F examples, the plan checklist, PDA and EHCPs, mainstream SEN Support, the EHCP overview and the request letter. Changes distinguish assessment and plan tests, education and health duties, initial drafts and final plans, review decisions and appeals, and complaints and enforcement. We removed unsupported success claims and corrected a provision example’s arithmetic. Fictional provision examples are not recommended clinical programmes.
7 September 2026 — grants and benefits
The grants guide corrects the scope of several charities, distinguishes a grant directory from a grant-maker, and updates checked application windows and intervals, and explains Kent Community Foundation’s professional-referral route. The DLA-to-PIP guide corrects descriptions of the PIP activities. The adulthood guide corrects the Child Benefit age explanation, the transfer of EHCP decision rights, and adult-care and NHS continuing-healthcare transition information. DLA claim guides now state the geographical scope of the route described.
A detailed DLA check corrected the main claim guide, terminology guide and fictional examples on personal attention, night needs, mobility conditions and the current form’s question numbering. We removed predicted awards attached to fictional profiles, including an incompatible care/mobility combination, and corrected the suggestion of a hard night-attention cutoff. The PIP transition guide now gives all four reliability conditions and more precise activity boundaries. These guides cannot determine an individual award.
7 September 2026 — local services and activities
The activities guide updates Imago’s published ages, areas, charges and support limits. It corrects short-break access routes, separates National Trust and Leeds Castle companion-ticket policies, and links to current venue information. The Right to Choose guide corrects the NHS complaint route, and the ADHD assessment guide clarifies professional registration and the limits of a private report.
Local NHS assessment-capacity changes are explained in help while waiting. Earlier provider or waiting-time checks should not be read as a promise of current capacity.
8 September 2026 — tools, planners and guide previews
We carried the rights corrections through to the EHCP journey, letter templates and timeline tracker. Week 16 is shown as a reference for a refusal notice, rather than a universal draft deadline. Blank optional dates no longer establish non-receipt, and an unrecorded earlier date does not hide a later final-plan deadline or trigger a chase after a later stage is recorded.
The year planner replaces an incorrect school-calendar date and unsupported seasonal claims with monthly prompts for families to add their own school and case dates. We also corrected previews describing fictional DLA examples as successful real claims, removed unsupported promises about what an award could buy, and renamed the child DLA rules guide to match its actual scope.
8 September 2026 — therapy and assessment funding
We corrected funding claims in the behaviour support, educational psychology, occupational therapy and speech therapy cost guides. The pages now explain Family Fund’s England programme restrictions and distinguish Caudwell Children’s own assessment and therapy services from grants to buy any private service. We removed unverified funding suggestions. This focused check did not verify the market price ranges elsewhere in those guides.
8 September 2026 — glossary explanations
We corrected selected pop-up definitions used across the guides, including the separate PIP claim at 16, proposed Individual Support Plans alongside specialist EHCPs, communication aids used with speech, and the different responsibilities of councils and professional bodies. We removed changing benefit rates and phone numbers from basic acronym explanations and qualified sensory-intervention wording. This was a targeted source check of 11 definitions; the full glossary has not received professional review.
14 September 2026 — EHCP checklist summary
We corrected checklist summaries in the EHCP application guide and EHCP hub to say Section F provision should normally be quantified, matching the guide’s main explanation and the SEND Code of Practice (Section F table after paragraph 9.69). The earlier summaries omitted that qualification. This was a focused wording correction, not a new review of every claim in the guides.
We also aligned the behaviour-support cost guide with the normal-quantification wording and clarified the duty to secure specified Section F provision. It does not automatically promise reimbursement for a chosen private service. We replaced an unassessed example containing fixed session lengths with prompts based on the child’s assessed needs.
14 September 2026 — genomic testing access
In the genetic-testing guide, we separated the ordinary R98 metabolic-testing criteria from the additional requirements for the semi-rapid route. The earlier sentence applied a biochemical-evidence requirement too broadly. The correction follows NHS England’s current version 9.1 directory and does not determine any individual child’s eligibility.
21 September 2026 — comparing speech-therapy services
We corrected the speech-therapy cost guide to remove unsupported comparisons about NHS and private provision, report quality, continuity and treatment results. The guide now asks parents to compare the actual service offer and explains that a report does not carry more SEND Tribunal weight simply because it is privately commissioned. We replaced fixed age-based session advice and a promised saving from alternating appointments with questions about assessed needs, agreed goals, review and the full quote. Price figures remain estimates, without a fresh provider survey. This was a targeted editorial correction, not qualified professional sign-off.
Before relying on a guide
Open the linked official source for a deadline, eligibility rule or referral. Confirm fees and availability with the provider before paying. Ask a suitably qualified professional about decisions affecting health, legal rights or benefits. A diagnosis does not itself guarantee an EHCP, a benefit award, an appointment or a particular treatment.
If a source is unavailable or conflicts with another official page, ask the responsible organisation which rule or pathway applies. We should explain that uncertainty instead of inventing an answer.
Help us correct an error
Use the existing correction route. Give the SENDPath page, the statement that appears wrong and a public source if you have one. Please do not send a child’s name, assessment report, health history or other sensitive information. Essential corrections do not require a payment or listing upgrade.
Commercial links and listings
Affiliate shopping links and commercial guide previews are labelled. A commission, provider-supplied detail or future paid placement is not evidence of safety, effectiveness or professional competence. See our affiliate disclosure and what directory checks mean.