Amber Windsor —
Founder of Canary SEND

I know first-hand how families can be worn down by a system that should support them. I created Canary SEND to provide the kind of advocacy I wish I’d had: strategic, clear, and rooted in both legal knowledge and lived reality.


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 – Former lead 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.

Alongside this, 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.

Before founding Canary SEND, I worked as the Legal Lead and Neuroaffirmative SEND Consultant at Think Different Consulting (TDC), alongside founder, Sadie Gillett.

Sadie is widely recognised as a thought leader in autism and neuroaffirmative practice, with over 25 years of experience across schools, local authorities, research, and community projects. Working so closely with her was both a privilege and a turning point in my professional development.

At TDC, my role combined SEND law expertise, sharp strategic thinking, and neuroaffirmative practice. Families often described me as the one who could translate their instincts into strong, lawful arguments - whether that was navigating an EHCP, challenging local authority decisions, or securing provision when school placements broke down.

Canary SEND is, in many ways, an evolution of that work. It carries forward the ethos and insight I gained under Sadie’s mentorship, while allowing me to focus more fully on the legal strategy and advocacy side - combining neuroaffirmative principles with practical tools that make the SEND system harder to ignore.

My Promise

Outcomes can't be guaranteed - no one can promise that. But you can count on:

  • Strategic Support → You won't stumble through this alone

  • Clear Direction → Gain clarity on your rights and practical next steps

  • Dignified Advocacy → Your child described with accuracy, respect, and legal strength

“Amber has been truly exceptional at handling my child’s SEND case. Her supportive nature, empathy, in-depth knowledge and ability to always anticipate any eventuality has been reassuring & a pillar of support amongst so much uncertainty.”
(Caroline, Parent)

Want to learn more about the ethos that drives my work? Read more about neuroaffirmative practice and the Canary SEND approach.

Ready to take the weight off your shoulders? Book a free consultation to see how this support could work for your family.

Contributing to Wider Change

Individual casework and systemic advocacy go hand in hand. Alongside supporting families, I'm actively involved in SEND policy analysis and community advocacy.

Current involvement includes:

  • Sussex SEND Families - Leading policy research and written advocacy, including exposing data manipulation in local authority CME reporting and analysing the coordinated dismantling of disability rights across sectors

  • Policy analysis for platforms like Special Needs Jungle, examining how think tank reports and government reforms use divide-and-conquer tactics to justify rolling back SEND protections

  • Strategic research connecting SEND reforms to broader patterns like the Legal Aid cuts under LASPO, revealing how procedural erosion is used to hollow out rights while keeping them technically intact

  • Community advocacy through regular engagement with MPs, parent campaigners, and active participation in parent carer groups across Sussex

This policy-level understanding directly strengthens individual cases - anticipating local authority strategies, identifying systemic patterns that support appeals, and building evidence that challenges the narratives used to justify cutting support.

Every successful individual case also contributes to the collective evidence that rights-based approaches work when properly implemented.