In 2019, Maggie Cleary, co-founder and CEO of STRM, established the charity after years of struggling to source appropriate support for her neurodivergent child. Finding it difficult to navigate a convoluted system, it was clear that there were additional barriers when trying to access a diagnosis or find a school who were willing and able to make reasonable adjustments, to name but a few. Maggie felt incredibly isolated and alone, not knowing where to turn or even where to start. Along this journey, she found like-minded parents and formed our charity.

SEND the Right Message Charity (STRM) formed as a constituted charity on 17th February 2021.

We provide support services and training for families living in Southend, Castle Point, and Rochford districts where a child or young person has been identified or suspected of having specific educational needs and/or disabilities.

STRM offers online support, face-to-face coffee mornings, Disability Benefit appointments, children's activities, and training directly via our new community office.

These objectives are pursued through support services and several activities, some funded by fundraising, but the bulk is made possible through the generosity of charitable trusts, companies, and individuals.

As a charity, SEND The Right Message value diversity and are whole-heartedly committed to embedding equitable and inclusive practices into all aspects of our work. We will deliberately use the term equity now instead of equality because we have seen first-hand how equal treatment often puts our children and colleagues at a substantial disadvantage, doing very little to foster meaningful inclusivity.

We believe that in championing equity, we are saying that they may need to be treated differently to meet people's needs, which is ok. We should be able to see human diversity and value those differences: true inclusivity evolves from acceptance of difference, not solely awareness of it.