Special Needs Planning: The Podcast

There's a lot of negative press around at the moment around trusts. But the use of trusts for vulnerable clients or families who have children who will be lifelong dependents can be incredibly beneficial, for many reasons. Here we talk to Heledd Wyn, SENDA Board Member and Solicitor (TEP) at Rothley Law about what to think about when discussing trusts with clients. Financial planning Special n...

Jennifer Stone is an award-winning Independent Financial Adviser with over 30 years’ experience, specialising in personal injury and clinical negligence cases. Currently with Chase de Vere, she is widely recognised for her expertise in advising both claimants and defendants, and has produced more than a thousand expert witness reports over the course of her career. Jennifer’s work sits at the inte...

Kelly Lampard is the founder of SEND Navigator, aneurodiversity-informed digital platform currently in development, designed to simplify the SEND system for families. Alongside building SEND Navigator, she leads the SEND service line at Bath Family Law, supporting families navigating the intersection of separation, education law, and additional needs. Drawing on both professional training and live...

Paul is a part-time Departmental Lecturer in Taxation Law atthe University of Oxford following a career focussed on corporate financial advisory work - spending much of the last 18 years of his executive career advising defined benefit pension scheme trustees on financial aspects of therelationship between the scheme and its sponsoring employers.  He also works for a professional pension trustee c...

Eddie is a passionate advocate for the insurance and financial planning profession. He is a Disability and AccessAmbassador for Insurance, a Non-Executive Director of the PFS and serves on the board of the European Financial Planning Association. Throughout his career, Eddie has been dedicated tosupporting, mentoring, and spearheading initiatives that build consumer confidence and trust. A lifelon...

Today we're delighted to be joined by Keith Richards to talk about Consumer Duty. Keith Richards is the founding director and CEO of theConsumer Duty Alliance (CDA), an independent, not-for-profit professional body created by and for the sector promoting consumer-focused good practice, and championing the value of professional advice. A recognised leader in financial services, Keith has over 4...

In this episode we talk about how building neurodiverse practices into your advice business can lead to better outcomes for your ND clients. In this brilliant episode, hear from Kate, a neurodiversity expert, talk about how simple changes to your business approach and language internally can significantly improve how you work with all your clients. Find out more about Kate's work here: Kate Fa...

Becoming a Special Needs Planner 🙌 In this week's podcast, we hear from Rhiannon Gogh about how she became a Special Needs Financial Planning expert and her top tips on how to transform your practice when working with families with special needs and disabilities. We had lots of requests for this during our SENDA Foundation Training courses last month, so we hope you enjoy listening to Rhianno...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: The impact of proposed IHT changes on pensions for special needs families 🎙️ We've had some brilliant guests on the podcast recently, but SENDA Founders Rhiannon Gogh and Ali Fanshawe wanted to share their thoughts this week on the proposed IHT changes on pensions. They have been working hard to lobby MPs in the past few weeks around the potentially devastating impacts that pro...

Carla Brown FPFS is a Chartered Financial Planner, CEO ofOakmere Wealth Management, and the current President and Chair of the Personal Finance Society. With over 28 years of experience in financial planning, shehas built an award-winning practice focused on helping clients live their best lives through clarity and confidence. Carla is passionate about shifting the profession fromproducts to peopl...

There's very little that Tina Emery OBE does not know about working with and supporting families with special needs loved ones. Not only does she have personal, lived experience of it, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the SEND community, Tina was awarded an OBE in the King's first Birthday Honours List in 2023 for Services to Children and Young People with SEND. As Co-Chai...

This week, we're delighted to welcome Joanne Dewar and Kris Foster to talk about Project Nemo. Project Nemo is a 12-month disability inclusion campaign with a goal to set fintech as a sector leader in inclusion, deliver a lasting legacy of change. More than 1 in 5 people live with a disability in the UK, representing an estimated £274 billion a year in spending power. There is also anecdotal e...

Kathryn is Head of Customer Vulnerability &Accessibility at Nationwide Building Society and has many years of expertise in delivering great outcomes for customers who need more help and support when interacting with financial services organisations.   But Kathryn’s passion for this topic is not only from 9-5pmas she’s also Founder and on the Board of Trustees for multiple third sector organisa...

This week we're joined by Valerie Kudjoe from Mencap Trust Company. Valerie has worked at Mencap Trust for many years and has extensive experience of helping families plan for secure financial futures. Mencap Trust Company is essentially THE original Special Needs Planning organisation! And has helped thousands of young people and families. Valerie started work at the Mencap Trust Company in 2008....

Today we're talking about how increasing our own emotional intelligence and our ability to assess others' emotions can help when it comes to working with clients who have children or young people with special needs and disabilities. In October 2023, a year after selling his financial planningbusiness, James Woodfall founded Raise Your EI. After 15 years as a financial planner, he recognise...

We're joined this week by Heledd Wyn - she has a passion for working together with other advisers for the benefit of her clients. We hear from Heledd as she advocates for the team approach to special needs planning and why that's best for the client. Heledd Wyn is a Partner specialising in private clientservices and long-term care, based in Bristol. With extensive experience in future plan...

Alex Hunter is co-founder of The Dad Shift, a new campaign for better paternity leave in the UK. He's spent his career campaigning and fundraising with charities, working on issues including domestic abuse, assisted dying and climate change. Alex’s aim is that The Dad Shift campaign will broaden theconversation around the need for improved paternity leave law and policy in the UK which is repo...

Today we talk to the brilliant Catherine Ann Reid, Founder of doqit, a life admin app designed to make your life simpler.  She is also mum to the lovely Chloe  who is 23 with complexadditional needs. She’s experienced firsthand how overwhelming managingcritical documents and deadlines can be. This inspired her to create doqit - an app designed to help families manage and take control of their pape...

Today, we're talking to Jim Islam, CEO of OneFamily. Jim Islam, CEO of OneFamily , has been a motivated supporter of the Access to Child Trust Fund campaign for many years. OneFamily are the largest provider of Child Trust Funds in the UK and were the first financial organisation to help find a solution for families with young people who lack mental capacity to access their funds at the age of 18....

Hi there and welcome to the next episode of theProvide. Protect. Prepare podcast brought to you by SENDA.   My name is Ali and with me on the podcast today I have SENDA Founder, Rhiannon Gogh and our lovely guest, Rachel Wright.   Rachel is the Founder of Born at the Right Time, anorganisation aimed at improving the lives of those with disabilities and their families. She is a qualified nurse and...

On the show today, we are excited to welcome Cathy Brennan. Cathy is a Senior Financial Planner based in NorthernIreland.  But….she’s no ordinary financial planner.  She has won multiple awards, most recently Financial Adviser of the Year for Scotland/Northern Ireland at the Professional Adviser’s Women in Financial Advice Awards, and it’s not hard to see why.  As well as providing traditional fin...

Today, we are delighted to welcome Suzanne Robinson to thepodcast.   Suzanne Robinson is a mother of 3 children aged between 7and 14, and all are on the autistic spectrum to some degree. Her eldest child, Zac, is profoundly autistic and requires round-the-clock care. He is now in a residential school with regular visits home. Suzanne is an incredible advocate for SEN families and regularly speaks...

We were delighted to interview Andrew Turner who has been leading a campaign to raise awareness around the issues of accessibility to Child Trust Funds and other savings instruments by young people with special needs and disabilities who lack mental capacity. It is estimated that around 80,000 trust funds cannot be accessed by young people. Andrew has been campaigning for many years to help ensure...

SENDA (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Advisers) was founded in 2024 and is aiming to bring together professionals across the financial, legal and charity sectors to enable better outcomes and secure financial futures for children with special needs and disabilities. Sign up for updates on training, events and more by clicking here . The podcast will cover a variety of topics and is aim...