Hello, 
Welcome to Smith Searle

Hello, and welcome to the new Smith Searle website! I hope you like it! If you have found your way to us then it is probably because you are a parent or carer to a child with SEND. I hope you find something here that will be helpful and that makes you feel part of a very special community.

 

I am Victoria, and I am co-founder of Smith Searle. This is our family enterprise and has been slow in the making but I am already so proud of the values and knowledge that we intend to bring to the SEND community. We are currently making some exciting changes to the way Smith Searle is managed and delivered, so please keep an eye on the website for news and updates.

 

I am mum to 4 incredible young women who do not fail to inspire and fill me with joy every single day. I have been navigating the SEND systems for over 14 years to fight for equitable and appropriate access to education for one of my daughters. I am a Registered Nurse and have worked in the NHS for almost 25 years; a career that I have strived to maintain alongside my caring role at home which, as many of you will understand, has been an almost impossible feat at times.

 

Smith Searle has been borne out of necessity. There’s no “supporting children with additional needs is my life-long passion” here, just a mum who has used information as power to fight the injustice of a very broken, unfair system and now wants to use that education and experience to influence wider change. I have met vast numbers of parents who are confused, sad, tired, lost and in need of an advocate who can take some of the burden and turn that into strong applications to access the services and education that their child needs. Over the last few months I have elevated my knowledge with SEND Law training, and I continue to learn with courses such as Neuro Linguistic Programming, Advanced Autism awareness and a SEND Diploma. I am currently studying a Masters in Psychology.

 

My mum said to me once that she believed that my daughter was given to me. Her speech, language and communication disorders limited her voice but I “had a mouth big enough for the pair of you”. I will still be representing her voice and advocating for her needs, and I hope you will allow me to do the same for you.