Children and Families Bill - CDC blog post

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I am sorry but is this the best they can do?

It is completely unquestioning, pliably going along with the reforms and talking some bollocks about jam or marmite.

I am so glad they are representing parents interests.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

You can put your comments on the Bill at the bottom of the blog post

[TOWIELA]

Oh god the red mist is descending on me! What a bollocks post! The fight for my child to get 'adequate' provision has been boiled down to the difference between Marmite and jam!

IE - trouble with comments is that they can approve/disapprove any comments they like. To angry to comment at the moment (and still don't want to be outed!)

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I have posted a response but the responses have to be moderated

But this is what I have posted:

I think there is no genuine commitment or energy to change what is really wrong with the SEN system. The core problem is that decisions about meeting a child?s needs are left to LAs and their block contracted partners in the NHS who are working to funding demands and not to meeting need.

Nothing will change for parents who will still have to fight LAs (and their NHS services partners) who consistently deliver the cheapest possible generic provision under block contracts with no capacity or strategy for the objective measurement of outcomes

It?s all about money and control. LAs don?t want DPs and will get out of them at every opportunity as has been demonstrated by the poor levels of trialing for Pt 3 statementing provision. If a block contract is in place, the LA will refuse to offer a DP. They don?t want to lose control to independent therapists who may be more honest about a child?s need for support and who may actually quantify and specify this support in their reports as required by law. Whereas, of course, they routinely prevent LA instructed NHS therapists from doing this.

Unlawful practice is rife across LAs. Many parents are told ?we don?t do statements? or ?we have delegated all the money to school so you don?t need one? (see comments made to the Education Committee in front of your own Phillipa Stobbs) or a multitude of other blanket policies which try to put off applicants. How does the bill change the rampant law breaking which deprives a child of their rights? How does it help get provision in place when it is needed? How does it alleviate the burden on parents who have to spend thousands on independent reports to take a case to Tribunal? How does it stop councils dragging cases out for 6-8 months to Tribunal only to settle 2 weeks before knowing they won?t be penalised? How does it improve oversight of LA practice ? the LGO is useless? It doesn?t do any of these things. And we should all say so. LOUDLY

The focus of any reform should have been children?s rights not networking amongst professionals. The core of the reform process should have been about strengthening rights in the child?s favour to ensure that the law currently in place is actually enforced with clear penalties for non-compliance and law-breaking and legal aid being granted in the child?s name for Tribunals. This, and giving parents, and therefore their child, the RIGHT to choose their own health care providers for education as well as health provision would have helped enormously. But of course the Bill doesn?t do any of that. It doesn?t incorporate basic requirements of the Convention on the Rights of the Child or even emphasise that decisions should be taken int he child?s best interests.

It will not improve the lot of children with SEN and that really should be your starting point.

[bochead]

WHO are these jokers?

WHO gave them the authority to declare themselves advocates for our children?

Dangerous apologists who will do our kids a lot of damage if left unchecked is the polite way of putting it.

[babiki]

let's see if they post it and reply..

[uggerthebugger]

Great work, the cafe analogy. Spot on. At least it is if we're actually talking about a cafe in, let's say, North Korea. Where people are queuing hundreds of meters out of the door every day, most of them waiting stoically for hours to get miserly scraps that won't keep starvation at bay, let alone meet their nutritional needs. All served up by shrivelled sociopaths and their terrified accessories who think about service delivery in roughly the same way a dog thinks about a lamp-post - and who love to make a special example of customers who question the paradise of choice on offer.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the sort of cafe they're talking about. Either that, or they're what the North Koreans call useful idiots.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

PLEASE post that ugger. You have the most marvellous way with words.

[ouryve]

If we're going to run with the analogy, I can make my own, perfectly good, toast and coffee TYVM. I can even make my own bread to make the toast with and I have a bloody good stash of jam. Eggs benedict is a bloody faff, though, no matter how delicious, and I'd love for someone other than me to get all those pans dirty and do the bloody washing up, afterwards, because I end up too tired to bother with the rest of the day, otherwise.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

oooh, you are good too!

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Guys I'd like to post your comments and mine on the blog and tweet!

[bochead]

uggerbuggers post NEEDS to be published!

I'm more than capable of advocating for my own child thanks. I gave birth, & the process my critical thinking skills remained totally intact. I sincerely hope that CDC are not diverting funds from genuine services to undermine my child's life chances with their drivel.

It's not unreasonable to expect those funded via taxpayers money to provide a service to follow the law of the land. What is unreasonable is for a parent to have have to not only ask, but fight tooth and nail to ensure that they do.

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I will do a post now - entitled 'life is like a box of chocoaltes, or marmite on toast apparently?'

[inappropriatelyemployed]

New post published. I will now tweet it!

[inappropriatelyemployed]

here

[ouryve]

My post has a lot of bloody in it

Yesterday was a long day!

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I can remove the bloodys if you'd rather??

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Got a few retweets!

[ouryve]

You're welcome to if you feel they're OTT. (Actually, it was OT I was thinking of. I've been lucky to ever get as far as being offered toast by them.)

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I'm fine with them! Tell it as it is buddy!

[bochead]

oooh dear Lord they actually published my response

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Good for you! Great post!

[inappropriatelyemployed]

Some great posts on the CDC blog now. Check out the one from John Furlong

[TOWIELA]

Yes - some great comments. I would suspect that John Furlong is the same person who has made a couple of SEN FOI requests on the WhatDoTheyKnow website. Maybe worthwhile trying to contact him via his FOI requests?

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I think I know who it is! There are many excellent posts on there. It is good to see people speaking out.

[TOWIELA]

A couple more interesting comments have been posted