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The latest news and updates for parents/carers
and children and young people 0-25 years with special educational needs
and disabilities (SEND) in the Manchester City Council area
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Our next drop in is on Wednesday 15th October, 10am-12pm at Moss Side Powerhouse, 140 Raby Street, M14 4SL. These monthly free events are for parents/carers and young people with SEND up to 25 in the Manchester City Council area. They offer a chance to talk to a range of services and get support. Your children don’t need to have a diagnosis. All welcome – including professionals. Look out for the drop in bulletin!
FUTURE DROP INS, 10am-12pm
Wednesday 12th November - Manchester Youth Zone, Harpurhey
Wednesday 10th December - Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre, Wythenshawe
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A BIG thank you to all the parent carers involved in this summer’s fantastic school holiday offer.
Whether it was co-designing, planning or delivering, your commitment and energy was outstanding. Manchester is lucky to have you!
Relaxed cinema - This Sunday!
The next free relaxed cinema showing with Manchester Parent Carer Forum is Sunday 21st September, 11am-1pm at GRUB, 50 Red Bank, Cheetham Hill, M4 4HF. The film is ‘Moana 2’, rated PG. Siblings without SEND are welcome to join this SEND-friendly screening where guests get free popcorn. This activity is for SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. Book through Eventbrite.
Free cycling for 11-16s
Here's what parents say about the free cycling:
- ‘I can't recommend Roger highly enough. He is an incredibly patient, positive teacher whose passion for helping small people experience the joys of bike riding shines through.’
- ‘I didn’t imagine my daughter would be able to cycle on roads due to nerves. But I’m pleased to say that she managed to cycle miles in the city after only a few sessions.’
- ‘I am really proud of my son this weekend. The cycling with your team helped his confidence. He even went off cycling on his own with a friend.’
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Carers coaching
Are you an unpaid carer thinking about getting into work or training? Carers Manchester can help with free one-to-one employment coaching. Sign up to Employcare and get:
- one-to-one coaching in person, online or over the phone
- assistance with CVs, cover letters, job-searching, interviews and more
- tailored support to help you get closer to training or employment
- advice on achieving your unique goals
- a £40 voucher upon completion of coaching
Here is more information. To sign up, contact admin@carersmanchester.org.uk, 0161 834 6069 [ext. 1133]. Don’t delay – they are taking applications until 1st November on a first-come-first-serve basis, and demand is high.
Autism workshops
There are free workshops for parents/carers whose children are either on the waiting list for assessment or have had a formal diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Topics cover neurodiversity and wellbeing, communication differences, sensory differences, and working with the education system. Check out Manchester Parent Carer Forum’s website for in-person sessions coming up in the next few months. Learn more about the Social Communication Pathway in Manchester.
SEND Together training
The SEND Together group is running a specialised parent to parent workshop. It's in three parts, 10am-12pm each time at St Aidan’s Community Centre, 230a Wythenshawe Road, Manchester, M23 0PH:
- Monday 22nd September: What is sensory processing?
- Monday 6th October: Sensory behaviours - How to recognise and understand them.
- Monday 20th October: Meltdowns with sensory overwhelm and grounding techniques.
For further information contact SEND Together on 07591 078944, sendtogethersg@gmail.com or through their Facebook page.
Brighter Beginnings
Contact’s Brighter Beginnings are free online workshops for families with disabled children aged 5 and under. Sessions coming up include Early years Childcare and Finances and Supporting Your Child’s Sleep. Book your place.
Unlocking strengths
Autizma is delivering a free one-off training session, ‘Unlocking Strengths – Autism & Neurodiversity Training for Families’, offered on three different dates and supported by funding from Manchester Adult Social Care. There are two dates left, 10am-2pm each time via Zoom on Tuesday 22nd October and Wednesday 19th November. If you can’t attend live, register anyway as sessions will be recorded and sent to you. Places limited.
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Free energy advice
Struggling with energy costs? Scope have a dedicated Community Disability Energy Advice service that offers free advice around energy bills, grants, discounts and energy efficiency. They encourage families with disabled and/or neurodivergent children to get along to an advice session. This includes our Local Offer drop ins. Kim (pictured) will be there, with lots of free resources like carbon monoxide alarms and bag tags with safety tips. Find sessions in your local area on the Scope website or by ringing 0808 800 3333, choosing option 3. You can also contact the team at CDEA@scope.org.uk. No need for referrals or proof of disability. See their friendly leaflet – Energy Advice for Disabled People.
Priority Services Register
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free UK wide service that helps utility companies look after customers who have extra communication, access or safety needs. They can help with everyday energy matters, like bills, and in the unlikely event of a power cut, gas or water supply interruption. By telling them once, they update your energy supplier (the company you pay your bills to) and your regional network companies, including electricity, gas and water. Eligibility is surprisingly wide, including families with children under 5 and people who need documents translated into another language.
Find a food bank
This map (last updated September 2025) shows food providers in the city for people struggling with the cost of food. For some foodbanks, you need a referral. This can be from your GP, a social worker or health visitor. Find out more about using foodbanks.
Hardship helpline
The Trussell Trust’s Help through Hardship helpline is a free phone service delivered in partnership with Citizens Advice. They can help you access the support you need, whether that’s benefits, grants or energy efficiency. Call the free, confidential helpline on 0808 208 2138 to speak to a friendly adviser. Open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, except public holidays. Here is information on the helpline, including accessible ways to use the service.
Council signposting
Manchester City Council has a free telephone line offering support and advice around benefits and rent, debt and paying bills, food support and staying warm. Call 0800 023 2692, Monday to Friday, 9am-4.30pm or use the online form. There is also the Council's cost of living information hub.
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Carers coffee morning
The next coffee morning with Manchester Parent Carer Forum (MPCF) is on Friday 19th September, 10am-12pm at Martenscroft Nursery and Sure Start Centre in Hulme, 33 Epping Street, M15 6PA. It’s an opportunity to meet and chat to fellow parents and carers of children and young people with SEND in a relaxed and friendly setting. Book through Eventbrite. The one after is Friday 10th October.
Spot fake cures
Some products or services claiming to be cures or treatments for autism are fake and can be harmful. This NHS information has guidance on how to spot and report them. Parents might consider these so-called treatments, even going abroad to have them, when they see their child’s autism as an illness or disease. It’s neither, it just means a child’s brain works in a different way from other children. Learn more about autism.
Money updates
Child Benefit changes
Changes to the Child Benefit eligibility criteria for families with a disabled young person came in on September 1st 2025. These allow much greater flexibility for a claim to continue beyond the age of 16. Provided your young person is under the age of 20 and began their course of education before they turned 19, you can make a claim for Child Benefit for them at any point, even if your old claim has ended. It can only be backdated for three months though, so get in touch with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to start your claim.
Help with childcare costs
The free childcare offer for working families in England has expanded to all children. Find out more from Contact, the charity for families with Disabled Children.
Safeguarding matters
Our Safeguarding Voices is a group of people aged 18+ working together to improve people’s experience in the city. They are looking for new members with lived experience of being involved in a safeguarding concern. Find out more in this leaflet.
If you’re concerned that a child or an adult is being abused or neglected,please tell Manchester City Council, even if you're unsure. Report it so they can check. You can do this anonymously if you want to. Call 0161 234 5001 or email mcsreply@manchester.gov.uk.
Anorexia and autism
The National Autistic Society has been working on a new resource with two autistic women, Faith and Lucy, who have lived experience of anorexia. It outlines 10 things they want eating disorder services to understand about autism and 10 things they want autism services to understand about eating disorders.
Stop loan sharks
There are 1.08 million people in debt to a loan shark in England. If you’re one of them, you're not alone. The Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT), a national law enforcement agency, investigates and prosecutes illegal money lenders and provides support for borrowers. They are there to help you and keep you safe, with specially trained staff offering emotional and practical support tailored to your needs. Call 24/7 on 0300 555 2222. There is also a Live Chat on the Stop Loan Sharks website. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, they can provide a BSL interpreter and have a number of BSL resources on their YouTube channel.
New EHCP resource
There’s a new interactive resource offering detailed information on the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) application process. It’s designed for parents, carers and young people, going through each stage of the process with what duties the local authority is required to perform. Produced by IASSN in collaboration with SENDIAS service managers and IPSEA, it will be of use to professionals too.
Travel alert
Industrial action by some bus operator staff at Stagecoach, Metroline and First is expected to take place from Friday 19th to Monday 22th September. Whilst many bus services will not run, some buses, as well as trams and trains will continue to operate as normal. Find everything you need to know in this Bee Network information, including use of passes during the strike and school bus services.
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College open event
Are you between 16 and 18 years old and looking for somewhere to study after you finish school? The Manchester College has a 16-18 Open Event on Tuesday 7th October, from 5pm to 7pm. Choose which campus you want to attend (City Campus Manchester, Openshaw, Harpurhey or Wythenshawe) and:
- learn about courses
- tour the facilities
- watch live demonstrations and student showcases
- try interactive activities linked to your favourite subject areas
Staff from their SEND/EHCP Supported Learning and EHCP Transition Team will be at the event for learners with additional needs. When you register, you can say if you need support from this team. You can also let them know if you need a Communication Support Worker (CSW) due to a hearing impairment.
Manchester Volunteer Fair
Manchester Volunteer Fair is a free event on Saturday 20th September from 10am-3pm at St Ann’s Square in the city centre. Whether you're passionate about animals, the environment, or helping those in need, there's something for everyone. (Just check transport before you go – see the travel alert in ‘Other news’.)
Learn more about volunteering in Scope's guide
Working Together
Adult Social Care in Manchester City Council are on a mission! They are setting up a Working Together group and looking for people aged 18 and over to join it. Would you like to:
- Help Adult Social Care work together with people using their services to make things better?
- Create a set of principles to guide Adult Social Care staff in the best ways of working in co-production?
The Working Together group will meet six times in total. Meetings will be every fortnight, lasting two hours, and at a time and location decided by the group. You will be paid £12.60 an hour and get any transport costs back. There’s food, too. If you’re interested, fill in this form or get in touch with Lewis by email - lewis.nelson@manchester.gov.uk. Applications close on Monday 22nd September.
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