Tribunals/Evidence/Bringing Bad Practise to the Attention of Opinion Formers/Law MAkers

[Guest guest]

I have read the recent Tribunals emails with horror, empathy

and a growing sense of rage.

I think it is time that these events were accurately

recorded, including the costs to parents. Financial costs are the easy ones to

calculate. However, I think it is important to at least name (even if we can’t

quantify) the other heads of damage eg

Emotional cost, stress, damage to the family, and so on.

Putting my ex lawyers hat on, I stress that these reports

must be factual and not emotional.

If they are primarily factual then they will be noted. My experience

is that the minute anyone sniffs “emotional/hysterical parent” then

what is serious, and unacceptable will be disregarded.

First, the “dossier” should go to the NAS. It is

the obvious first port of call.

Then it should be copied to local MPs.

It is possible that none of this might work.

I have a cunning plan. Cameron set up a Commission on

Special Educational Needs when he was Shadow Education Minister. It is headed

by Sir Balchin. The interim report is

concerned with many of the issues raised in our recent emails, essentially that

the SEN provision process is costly, drawn out and unnecessarily adversarial. At

a recent seminar I attended on this, the fact that LEA’s

are “hopelessly conflicted” (in my husband’s brilliant

words!) was discussed, and there is discussion of removing some or all of the

SEN provisioning powers from the LEA’s.

It will be no surprise to you to know that all the parents

present at the seminar voted strongly in favour of

doing this.

I would like to suggest that if people can send me summaries

of their own experiences, I will send them on to the Commission and hopefully

directly to Sir Balchin himself.

I know that this seems so little, and for many of us, too

little, too late, but change has to happen and often this is how it starts.

Alison