Find the right professional

Once you decide to pay, choosing the right person matters as much as the decision to spend. The good news is that some roles are protected and easy to check, and a few simple questions filter out the rest. Run these checks before you pay a penny.

Some titles are legally protected. “Educational psychologist”, “speech and language therapist” and “occupational therapist” can only be used by people registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You can verify anyone instantly on the HCPC register at hcpc-uk.org. If they are not on it, do not use them for that role. With these regulated experts, also ask whether they have tribunal experience, because a report written to stand up as evidence is different from a general clinical one. Ask what the report will cover and quantify, and get the cost and timescale in writing before you commit.

Because an advocate is unregulated, do more digging. Ask for references from parents they have helped, and follow up. Ask about their track record with cases like yours, the same type of need at the same stage. Get fees, scope, and what is included in writing. For a solicitor, use the Law Society’s free Find a Solicitor service to confirm they specialise in education law, ask about funding options, and get a clear fee estimate in writing.

To make this easier, the SEN Help directory is being built to list EPs, SLTs, OTs, advocates and solicitors. The aim is for our directory to let you check the right registration (HCPC for the regulated experts, SRA for solicitors) and relevant SEND experience before anyone is listed, so you are not vetting strangers from a search engine on your own. Until it is live, run the checks above yourself. They are always worth doing in any case.