LDN London makes changes to Family Service

The team will now provide more specialist support around early years, working with schools, transitions, and coproduction.

LDN London’s Family Service has changed its team’s responsibilities, to develop its support for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The team will now have a greater focus on early years, family engagement, working closely with schools and colleges, transitions and coproduction.

The family team help families navigate the SEND system. They offer free 1:1 advice and support, group workshops and learning programmes, wellbeing activities, and networking with other families.

LDN London’s Head of Family Service, Maaike Roberts-Claus, said: “As the SEND system is changing, we are adapting so we continue to provide the best possible support to families now and through transitions in the future.”

Maaike added: “These new roles will mean we can offer even more specialist advice and information to families we support.”

You can access free advice and support from the team if you live in any of the boroughs LDN London works: Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing, Islington, Camden, Southwark, and Harrow.

New roles and team

Lucia Balint – Early Years Family Worker
Lucia supports families with younger children. This includes one-to-one support, parent coaching, early intervention and group programmes such as Early Bird training. She also works with nurseries and other early years settings.

Anne Hopewell – Family and Schools Liaison Officer
Anne helps families and schools or colleges work together. She can support communication and help families and education settings understand and work together around SEND.

Jess Luchman – Family Engagement Coordinator
Jess leads our workshops, group support, wellbeing sessions and community activities. She’ll help families connect with each other, share experiences and build support networks.

Sahara Al Saad – Family Transitions and Co-production Lead
Sahara supports families as young people move towards adolescence and adulthood. She also leads our co-production work, helping families and young people have a real say in how services are designed and delivered.

What families think is really important to us. We want families and young people to be at the heart of how our service develops. Please do get in touch.

If you have a question about these changes, would like to find out more about the support available, or need help from the Family Service, please contact us at familyservice@ldnlondon.org.