About Canary SEND — Neuroaffirmative SEND Support & Advocacy in Brighton, Sussex & Beyond
Our Story & Vision
At Canary SEND, we’re here for the families whose children are struggling because the systems around them aren’t meeting their needs. We help you turn instincts into action, and action into change.
Our name comes from the canaries once used in coal mines as early warning signals — the first to show when conditions became unsafe. Today, many disabled and neurodivergent children are our canaries: the first to be harmed by a failing system.
They are not the problem; they are the signal.
We listen to that signal, help you amplify it, and work with you to challenge unlawful decisions, secure the right support, and reimagine what education can look like for your child.
Our Approach
Child-first – Every action centres your child’s dignity, needs, and rights.
Neuroaffirmative & trauma-aware – We respect difference and recognise the emotional load families carry.
Ethical & transparent – If your budget is better spent on an independent assessment or a free resource, we’ll tell you.
Strategic & practical – We don’t just quote the law; we show you how to use it for real impact.
Relational, not transactional – This isn’t clock-watching. We take time to understand your family and your goals.
What We Do
We support families across the full spectrum of SEND issues — not just EHCPs:
Making sense of what’s happening and why.
Mapping options and helping you decide the most effective next step.
Navigating EHC needs assessments, provision breakdowns, unlawful timetables, exclusions, and complaints.
Securing provision for children who are out of school.
Using the law to protect your child’s rights — with or without an EHCP.
Who We Work With
We work with parents and carers who:
Feel overwhelmed, burned out, or at breaking point.
Have children unable to access suitable education due to burnout, trauma, exclusion, or system failure.
Are being told to “wait and see” or “try harder at home” while their child’s needs go unmet.
Are completely new to the SEND process or have been fighting it for years.
About Amber Windsor – Founder of Canary SEND
I created Canary SEND because I saw first-hand how families can be worn down by a system that should be supporting them. My aim is to give you the kind of support I wish I’d had: strategic, clear, and rooted in both legal knowledge and lived reality.
Before launching Canary SEND, I was the Legal Lead and Neuroaffirmative SEND Consultant at Think Different Consulting, working alongside Sadie Gillett. Together, we built TDC into a respected and impactful service, taking on complex cases and helping families achieve life-changing outcomes.
That success didn’t go unnoticed — and not always in a good way. As our work gained traction, it became clear that to keep helping families effectively, we needed to adapt. Creating Canary SEND was part of that adaptation: a way to continue pushing for change while reducing the pressure points that come with working under one banner.
My background blends:
SEND law expertise – IPSEA trained in SEN Law, including time as an IPSEA Adviser.
Frontline consultancy – Strategic case planning, document review, and advocacy in complex, high-stakes situations.
Health & social care experience – Formerly leading on neurodivergence in adult services, supporting autistic, ADHD and PDA adults whose needs had been overlooked.
Community & policy links – Active relationships with MPs, grassroots campaigners, charities and parent forums, research initiatives, and SEND professionals nationwide.
I’m not a solicitor — and for most families, that’s an advantage. Solicitors are invaluable for certain steps, but they can’t always offer the kind of day-to-day, hands-on involvement most SEND cases need. I work with you from the first signs of struggle, helping you prepare, plan, and act strategically at every stage. If a solicitor’s input becomes necessary, I connect you with trusted partners — giving you the best of both worlds without unnecessary cost.
Alongside my professional expertise, I bring lived experience from a fully neurodivergent household — as a parent, a partner, and a person who’s been through the very same systems I now help others navigate. I know the exhaustion of endless paperwork, the frustration of being misunderstood, and the determination it takes to keep going when it feels impossible. This perspective keeps my work grounded, human, and focused on what really matters: getting your child the support they need and deserve.
Canary SEND is here to be the voice in your corner that says: You’re not imagining this. You’re not overreacting. And you don’t have to figure it all out alone.