RIASS Redbridge
Our Position
RIASS recognises that artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming increasingly available and may be used by parent carers, children and young people to access information and support. While these tools can be useful for obtaining general background information, they should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional SEND information, advice or support.
Artificial intelligence can be a useful assistive and information-management tool when used appropriately. It may help parent carers, children and young people to:
RIASS recognises that AI tools may help some individuals overcome barriers to accessing information, including those related to literacy, language, communication or confidence. When used appropriately, AI can support engagement with SEND processes, provided information is independently verified.
When used in this way, AI can help individuals to become more confident and informed participants in SEND processes. However, any information generated by AI should be carefully checked and verified, particularly where legal rights, statutory duties, eligibility criteria or important decisions are concerned.
RIASS advises caution when using AI-generated content in relation to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Parent carers, children and young people have the right to access information from sources of their choosing, including AI tools. However, RIASS's position is that AI should not be relied upon as a source of SEND legal information, guidance or advice.
RIASS cannot verify the accuracy, reliability, completeness or currency of information produced by AI systems and accepts no responsibility for decisions made solely based on AI-generated content. Individuals should always refer to official guidance, legislation and professional advice where appropriate and are encouraged to seek support from RIASS when they require impartial SEND information, advice or support.
Understanding AI
Artificial intelligence tools, including large language models (LLMs) such as:
can generate responses that appear accurate, professional and convincing. However, these systems do not independently verify information before producing answers. Instead, they generate responses based on patterns in the data on which they have been trained.
As a result, AI-generated information may be:
AI tools may also refer to legislation, guidance, policies, case law or other sources that are inaccurate, misquoted or do not exist.
AI tools cannot assess an individual's circumstances, exercise professional judgement or take account of the full context of a child's needs. Information that may appear relevant in general terms may not accurately reflect a family's specific situation.
Protecting Personal Information
Parent carers, children and young people should exercise caution before uploading personal, sensitive or confidential information into AI tools. This may include:
Before sharing any document with an AI system, individuals should consider whether personal information can be removed or anonymised and ensure they understand how the provider may store, process and use that information.
Where possible, sensitive personal information should not be shared unless the individual is satisfied that appropriate privacy and data protection safeguards are in place.
Legal Guidance and Warnings
In 2025, the High Court of Justice issued a warning concerning the misuse of artificial intelligence in legal matters.
The Court stated:
"Freely available generative artificial intelligence tools, trained on a large language model such as ChatGPT, are not capable of conducting reliable legal research. Such tools can produce apparently coherent and plausible responses to prompts, but those coherent and plausible responses may turn out to be entirely incorrect. The responses may make confident assertions that are simply untrue. They may cite sources that do not exist. They may purport to quote passages from a genuine source that do not appear in that source."
Ayinde v London Borough of Haringey and Al-Haroun v Qatar National Bank [2025] EWHC 1383 (Admin), Paragraph 6.
Whilst this warning related to legal proceedings, the principles are equally relevant when seeking SEND information, advice and support.
RIASS Guidance
RIASS encourages families to:
SEND policies, procedures and local authority practices vary between areas and may change over time. AI systems may not reflect current local arrangements and should not be relied upon for information about local processes, services or eligibility criteria.
AI tools may provide useful background information but should not be treated as professional advice.
Accessing Reliable Support
Parent carers, children and young people can access free, confidential, impartial and accurate information, advice and support from trained SEND specialists through RIASS.
Where SEND information, advice or support is required, families are encouraged to contact RIASS directly rather than relying on AI-generated responses.
References
Ayinde v London Borough of Haringey and Al-Haroun v Qatar National Bank [2025] EWHC 1383 (Admin), Paragraph 6.
OpenAI (2025), Why Language Models Hallucinate. Available at: https://openai.com/index/why-language-models-hallucinate/