# About Little Nellies | Who We Are & Why We Exist Source: https://www.nelliesupports.com/little-nellies Canonical: https://www.nelliesupports.com/little-nellies # Your child comes first. Not the paperwork. Little Nellies is the specialist SEND and EHCP service provided by Nellie Supports Ltd for children, young people and families in England. We exist because families should not have to become SEND experts just to seek the right support for their child. Little Nellies is the specialist SEND and EHCP service provided by Nellie Supports Ltd for children, young people and families in England. We exist because families should not have to become SEND experts just to seek the right support for their child. Child-first support. Plain English. A wider social work practice behind us. Our starting point: Child-first How we communicate: Plain English The wider practice: Nellie Supports Our SEND focus: England ## Little Nellies at a glance ### Who A specialist SEND and EHCP advocacy service. ### For Children, young people and their families in England. ### Why To help families understand the system and speak up for their child. ### Part of The wider Nellie Supports social work practice. ### What matters The child, clear information and honest professional support. ## Who we are Most parents do not choose to learn about EHCPs, assessments, mediation or the SEND Tribunal. They learn because something is not working for their child. We bring specialist knowledge and practical help to that situation, so families are not left trying to make sense of every letter and report alone. Our starting point is the child, not a service package. We want to understand what matters to them, what is happening at home and in education, and what needs to change. Being part of the wider Nellie Supports practice helps us recognise when education, health, social care and family life need to be considered together. ### Who we are Little Nellies supports children, young people and their families with SEND and EHCP matters in England. It is a service of Nellie Supports Ltd, the independent social work practice behind the service, with its own specialist brand and focus. ## The paperwork is not the purpose Behind every report and decision is a child or young person living with the consequences. Our work starts with their needs, strengths, wishes and everyday life. ## What families can expect from us The principles we bring to our work, whatever stage your family has reached. ## What families can expect from us These are our working principles, not a six-stage service package. ### Straight answers We explain what a decision means, what needs attention and why we think a particular next step makes sense. You should not have to decode our advice. ### Plain English You should understand your own child's case. We explain the terminology, the paperwork and the options without assuming you already know the system. ### The whole child We connect the paperwork with everyday life: learning, communication, relationships, wellbeing, care and preparation for adulthood. A list of difficulties is not the whole person. ### Honest recommendations Not every disagreement needs an appeal, and not every family needs paid support. We explain the gaps, the alternatives and when free information or another professional may be the better starting point. ### Clear responsibilities We agree the work and fee before it begins, explain what is included and identify when a solicitor or another specialist is needed. We do not pretend to have expertise outside our role. ### Evidence before promises We cannot promise an EHCP, a particular placement or a successful appeal. Our role is to help the child's needs be understood and the evidence and requested support be presented clearly. ## Professional support with clear responsibilities We explain who is doing the work, what it covers and when a different professional is needed. ### An agreed role The work and fee are explained before you decide to proceed. Any hearing representation or additional specialist input is agreed explicitly. ### The right expertise We recognise when a child's needs involve more than education and identify the relevant professional input. ### Accountable practice Our work sits within the wider practice's professional standards and quality-assurance arrangements. ### Honest boundaries We are not a law firm, do not provide diagnoses and do not promise a particular local authority or tribunal outcome. ## What we believe The child comes first, families deserve to understand the process, and evidence matters more than promises. ### Straight answers We explain what a decision means, what needs attention and why we think a particular next step makes sense. You should not have to decode our advice. ### Plain English You should understand your own child's case. We explain the terminology, the paperwork and the options without assuming you already know the system. ### The whole child We connect the paperwork with everyday life: learning, communication, relationships, wellbeing, care and preparation for adulthood. A list of difficulties is not the whole person. ### Honest recommendations Not every disagreement needs an appeal, and not every family needs paid support. We explain the gaps, the alternatives and when free information or another professional may be the better starting point. ### Clear responsibilities We agree the work and fee before it begins, explain what is included and identify when a solicitor or another specialist is needed. We do not pretend to have expertise outside our role. ### Evidence before promises We cannot promise an EHCP, a particular placement or a successful appeal. Our role is to help the child's needs be understood and the evidence and requested support be presented clearly. ## A little more about Little Nellies ### Who are Little Nellies? Little Nellies is a specialist SEND and EHCP advocacy service for children, young people and families in England, provided by Nellie Supports Ltd within the wider social work practice. ### Why does Little Nellies exist? We exist because families should not have to become SEND experts just to seek the right support for their child. We combine clear explanations with practical help, keeping the child and the family's experience at the centre. ### Is Little Nellies part of Nellie Supports? Yes. Little Nellies is a service provided by Nellie Supports Ltd. Its specialist SEND and EHCP work is supported by the wider practice’s professional knowledge, standards and quality-assurance arrangements. ### Who do you support? We support children, young people and their parents or carers within England’s SEND and EHCP system, including preparation for adulthood where relevant. After compulsory school age, request and appeal rights normally belong to the young person, with support and specific capacity-related rules where needed. Most work can be delivered remotely; in-person arrangements are discussed where appropriate. ### Are you a law firm or a free helpline? Neither. Little Nellies is a paid specialist SEND advocacy service within a social work practice. We provide practical help within an agreed role, and explain when free information, a solicitor or another specialist may be more appropriate. ### Does every family need paid support? No. Some families can manage the next step with clear information or free advice. We explain the options and the work we are proposing rather than assuming everyone needs a package. ### Can you guarantee an EHCP or a successful appeal? No. The local authority or tribunal makes the decision. We can help families understand the issues, organise the evidence and present their child's needs and requested support clearly. ### Where can I find your services and fees? Our EHCP and SEND services hub explains the individual services, and the Little Nellies prices page sets out the published fees. The proposed work, any hearing representation and the fee are confirmed before you decide to proceed. ## Find the information you need This page explains who we are. These pages cover the practical detail and the standards behind our work. ### [Explore EHCP and SEND services](https://www.nelliesupports.com/services/ehcp-support) See the practical support available at different stages, from assessment requests and draft plans to reviews, mediation and appeals. ### [Our professional standards](https://www.nelliesupports.com/about-nellie-supports/professional-standards) Read about professional responsibilities, evidence and quality assurance within the wider practice. ### [Little Nellies fees](https://www.nelliesupports.com/services/ehcp-support/little-nellies-prices) Understand the published fees and ask us to explain the proposed work before you make a decision. ## Meet the practice behind Little Nellies Our SEND focus is part of a wider independent social work practice. ### [About Nellie Supports](https://www.nelliesupports.com/about-nellie-supports) The wider practice, its purpose and its approach to supporting people and families. ### [Meet our people](https://www.nelliesupports.com/about-nellie-supports/team) Find out about the practitioners and colleagues behind the work. ### [Professional standards](https://www.nelliesupports.com/about-nellie-supports/professional-standards) The responsibilities and boundaries that support accountable professional work. ## Real people, within a wider professional practice Little Nellies has a specialist SEND focus within the wider Nellie Supports social work practice. That connection matters because a child's life does not fit neatly into separate education, health and social care boxes. The wider practice includes registered social workers and colleagues with experience across assessment, care and family circumstances. We identify the professional input an instruction needs rather than assuming one person can answer every question. Our work is supported by the practice's professional standards and quality-assurance arrangements. You can meet the people behind the practice and read about their roles on our team page. ### [Social Work England](https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/) ### [Social Care Wales](https://socialcare.wales/) ### [British Association of Social Workers](https://www.basw.co.uk/) ## A specialist identity, part of the Nellie family Little Nellies carries the Nellie name and elephant identity into a service with its own focus on children, young people and SEND. It connects us to the wider Nellie Supports practice while giving families a clear place to turn for specialist education, health and care plan support. We share a child-first, person-centred outlook: people should be listened to, information should be understandable, and professional support should relate to the life someone actually wants to live. ### Little Nellies ## Why we are here and what we believe Our purpose is not to make the SEND process sound more complicated. It is to make it more understandable and help families take part in decisions about their child. ## Begin with the child ### The child behind the paperwork An EHCP case can become hundreds of pages of reports, emails and professional opinions. We do not want the child to disappear inside them. Who is this child? What do they enjoy and do well? What are they finding difficult? What helps them communicate, participate and learn? What do they want for their future? Those questions belong alongside the evidence. We listen to the family's experience and seek to keep the child's or young person's views at the centre, recognising that not everyone communicates in the same way. The paperwork matters because it records needs and the support being sought. But the paperwork is never the purpose. The child is. ## Explore Little Nellies ### [EHCP and SEND support](https://www.nelliesupports.com/little-nellies#section-retained128) Families should not have to become specialists simply because their child needs support. We exist to make room for their voice and help turn concerns into clear, practical next steps. ### [Our approach and fees](https://www.nelliesupports.com/little-nellies#section-retained134) Warmth and professional rigour belong together. We believe families deserve explanations they can understand, recommendations they can question and an honest account of what the evidence supports. ### [The wider practice](https://www.nelliesupports.com/little-nellies#section-cms89) Little Nellies has its own SEND focus, with the wider Nellie Supports practice behind it. Little Nellies provides SEND advocacy and social work input, not medical diagnosis. We are not a law firm. We explain the limits of our role and when a solicitor or another specialist is needed. No particular application or appeal outcome is guaranteed. ## Prepare the question you want help with Start with the latest request, plan or decision, the date and the issue you want to understand. Add a short account of the child or young person’s needs and views, the evidence already available and any deadline. Free SENDIASS or charity information may answer the question; any paid work should have an agreed task, fee and professional boundary. ## EHCP and SEND support ### 2 pages ### Families should not have to do this alone Caring for a child and navigating a complex system are different jobs. We bring professional knowledge and practical help alongside the family's experience, rather than expecting parents to become specialists overnight. ### The child must not get lost in the paperwork Reports and decisions matter because they affect a real child's life. We keep their strengths, needs, wishes and future in view, instead of treating an EHCP as a document to complete and forget. ## Our approach and fees ### Straight answers, in plain English Families deserve to understand their child's case. We explain what the paperwork means, what is still uncertain and which options are available, without hiding behind jargon. ### Evidence before promises Our job is not simply to repeat a concern more loudly. It is to connect the child's needs, the available evidence and the support being sought, while being honest about gaps and limitations. ## Families should not have to navigate this alone A child may be struggling at school. Support may have been promised but not clearly written down. A request for assessment may have been refused. Alongside caring for their child, a family can suddenly find itself dealing with reports, deadlines and decisions it has never encountered before.Little Nellies exists to help close the gap between being told what to do and having someone help you do the work. We explain what is happening, make sense of the available evidence and help families prepare the documents and responses needed for the next stage.Our aim is not to turn parents into SEND professionals. It is to help them feel informed, heard and better equipped to speak up for their child. The point is not more paperwork. It is support that makes a difference in a child's everyday life. The people behind Little Nellies ## Real people, within a wider professional practice Registrations and memberships belong to the relevant professional or organisation. They are not a separate accreditation of the Little Nellies advocacy service. ## Meet the practice behind Little Nellies A conversation, not a commitment ## Related information - [EHCP and SEND support for families in England](https://www.nelliesupports.com/services/ehcp-support) - [Draft EHCP review](https://www.nelliesupports.com/services/ehcp-support/draft-ehcp-review) - [EHCP annual review support](https://www.nelliesupports.com/services/ehcp-support/ehcp-annual-review-draft-review) --- Nellie Supports Ltd · 0333 987 5118 · nellie@nelliesupports.com Office 11 and 12, Unit 20, Springfield Business Park, Grantham, NG31 7FZ