Why SEND Life was created
This is not an idea that came from a boardroom. It came from Matthew's own childhood and the experiences he watched his mum go through while trying to secure the right help and support for him.
Growing up, Matthew saw first-hand the battles his mum faced. She had to keep asking questions, repeat the same information, collect documents, explain what was happening and push to make sure his needs were properly understood.
Years later, Matthew continued to see parents and carers describing similar experiences in the news: long delays, missing information, poor communication and families feeling as though they had to fight for every bit of support.
It became clear that, despite the passing of time, too many families were still experiencing the same difficulties. Matthew wanted to do more than talk about the problem. He wanted to create something practical that could make a genuine difference.
Turning experience into something useful
SEND Life was built to help families keep important information together in one secure and organised place.
Parents and carers can record evidence, upload reports, keep notes, track appointments, organise routines, record their child's voice and prepare information for meetings, reviews and applications.
Instead of important information being spread across emails, notebooks, photographs, letters and different devices, SEND Life helps members build a clearer record of their child's experiences, needs and progress.
It is designed to make information easier to find, easier to understand and easier to share with authorised people when support is needed.
Putting the child at the centre
Every child is different, and their experiences cannot always be explained through forms and professional reports alone.
SEND Life helps families record the child's own views, feelings, strengths, challenges, preferences and achievements. The aim is to help ensure that the child is seen as a whole person, not simply as a collection of documents, diagnoses or difficulties.
Our purpose
SEND Life exists to help:
- reduce the pressure of managing important information;
- prevent evidence and documents from becoming lost or forgotten;
- help parents prepare for meetings, reviews and applications;
- improve communication between families, schools and professionals;
- record progress, achievements and positive moments;
- give children a stronger voice in the decisions affecting them; and
- help families feel more organised, informed and supported.
SEND Life does not replace medical, educational or legal professionals. It provides practical tools to help members organise information, understand what has happened and communicate more clearly with the people supporting their child.
A personal message from Matthew
I created SEND Life because I remember seeing how hard my mum had to fight to get me the help I needed. Years later, I kept seeing families describing the same battles and asking why nothing seemed to change. I wanted to build something useful, something that could help parents keep everything together, record what was happening and feel better prepared when they needed to ask for support. SEND Life will not solve every problem within the SEND system, but I hope it can make the journey a little more organised and a little less overwhelming for families.
Matthew Booth, Founder of SEND Life
Making a difference together
SEND Life will continue to develop by listening to parents, carers, children, schools, SENCos and professionals.
The goal is simple: to create practical tools that help families feel heard, protect important information and make it easier to show the complete picture of a child's needs, experiences and progress.
Because families should not have to face these challenges alone.