Many families do not get the help they need because they do not know where to look or how to cut their way through the increasingly complicated system. We aim to highlight resources and inspire and empower families to do this successfully by providing resources, tips, facts and examples.
We decided to become a not-for-profit organisation in 2014 because we wanted to be able to raise funds to expand on activities providing resources, training and information for parents and carers of children and young people with special needs and disabilities.
We know from experience that our work has a positive impact. However, we realised that without finding sources of funding it would be impossible for us to continue to provide the same high-quality information indefinitely, without financial support.
SNJ's Co-Directors are Tania Tirraoro and Renata Blower. Everyone who writes for SNJ are parents of, or work with, children with special needs and/or disabilities. We are volunteers, and we have some funding from donations, some from advertising, some from sponsored posts and some from sponsorship (National Star). We use this to pay for website upkeep, leaflets and expenses.
Special Needs Jungle has collaborated with the Department for Education to develop a set of easy-to-understand flowcharts detailing how the new special educational needs system works. Designed by SNJ founder, Tania Tirraoro, they are now used by local authorities, schools and parents alike. They are also in the official SEND information packs. They are free to download, reproduce and use provided the attribution logos remain intact.
SNJ is a member of the Disabled Children’s Partnership, Genetic Alliance UK and the Council for Disabled Children. SNJ is also a member of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.