Our Primary Education Programme supports primary schools working with pupils with Down syndrome. Annual subscription to this programme starts from date of sign up and includes:
If you are in the UK, we have amazing online support where you can connect with other parents of primary school aged children.
PADS Primary Parents is a group where you can ask any questions at all, share any concerns or worries you may have, celebrate and share milestones and proud parent moments!
Starting school, for any child and their family, is an important milestone.
We have put together a guide for helping parents to choose a school, what to consider when your child is starting school as well as guidance for the primary school setting.
We love to disseminate good practise to both empower parents and to support primary schools to feel confident and positive about welcoming a child with Down syndrome.
We offer training, resources and ongoing support to the professionals working with your child.
We are delighted to share the expertise and experience of specialists in our community.
We provide information, resources, training and on going support to primary schools across the UK.
EHCP online support groups – Our EHCP support Justine, is on hand to provide information and support around applying for and checking EHCPs in our closed Facebook groups.
EHCP drop-in service – we offer half-hour 1:1 telephone sessions with Justine – these sessions are for DSUK families with a child in England who would value 1:1 support. You can discuss a specific question or key concern around the EHCP process during the session. After booking, you will receive instructions for contacting Justine to arrange a suitable day and time for the session – please allow half an hour for the session.
EHCP draft review service – Justine will fully review the draft EHCP and professional reports, followed by a call of up to 2 hours to share feedback. During this call, Justine will run through the EHCP with you to ensure you understand any issues with the draft so that you can put your parent representations effectively to the Local Authority. After booking, you will receive instructions for contacting Justine to arrange a suitable day and time for the session – please allow up to two hours for the call.
*Please be aware that once you receive your EHCP draft from the local authority, you have 15 days to review it. To ensure enough time for Justine to review the draft before your call to discuss suggestions and edits, please contact her as soon as possible.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a non-means-tested benefit that can be applied for, potentially from birth, to help with the extra costs of looking after a child with a disability.
At DSUK, we work hard to empower our parents and ensure they can access the information and support they deserve. We are delighted to offer weekly DLA drop-in sessions, enabling parents/carers to book a slot and access the support available.
Lisa Holden is a parent to Bobby, who is 6 and has Down syndrome. She has worked as an advisor at the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) and has extensive experience supporting parents to apply for DLA over recent years.
We have a collection of resources and information organised by life stages, health topics, and common enquiries about Down syndrome.
