Tribunal here we come.........

[jenk1]

Got DS final statement this morning and have phoned SENDIST for the forms.

Think this will go to tribunal even though i have been assured by IPSEA and our private psych that we have such a good case but when it comes down to money the LEA play hard and dirty.

Am prepared for them to throw anything at me in the tribunal.

Bring it on i say!!!

DS has now been out of school since Oct 05 and they have said that they want us to put him back into mainstream into the school that they have chosen, with no specified hours or quantified provision and his TA is to be shared both with him and other children.

YEAH Whatever, as if

Oh im so with them.

[bigcar]

Just seen your post. My ss has special needs, weve been able to share our frustrations with dh ex and her dp which helped, at least we could gang up together for him. But totally know what you mean, why does everything have to be such a battle, and why does it always come down to money? Stick to your guns!

[PeachyClairColouredRoses]

Good luck jenk.

have just spoken to SNAp about DS3. Yesterday we were given a Nurserya ssessment that contradicted everything the ed psych said and amde for very scary reading but apparently its definitely a no for special school without ed psych say so we can challenege the report as she didnta sk for our input at ALL and similar stuff but we cant contact her she left that part of the report blank. We can apply for statement but its unoikelya s they have to be 4 years behind on langugae- he's only 3.5.

Looks as if he ahs to go to MS one way or t'other, we've been stuffed

[PeachyClairColouredRoses]

Yes, but the only way we are going to get an expert is if we pay (there are no SN SALT here), and we cant afford to. BIBIC have offered to finance DS3 to help us, but that will take a while. We have this baseline assessment- a thing donw in all welsh nrseries- it indicates DS3 has no social interaction at age 2 or above level bar seeking affection from adults (no sharing, play with other kids etc etc etc); no speech boxes ticked at level 2 (or indeed level 18 months on the last one) and HUGE gaps all over- but we're boxed in,a s ed psych are clearly insane and say they wont proceed further without SALt and SALT don't exist.

We have been told we can apply for a statement and take LEA to tribunal because they WILL refuse; pay for private all the way; or give up and accept that ds3 will start mainstream without support . This is the school that alreadys ends DS3 home with homework (a tickchart of riobin species ffs- he cant use a bloody pencil or say bird) and they're expected to start readinga nd writing on day one of reception.

this is going to blow up horribly.

Sorry for hijack jenk

[jenk1]

peachy im so sorry about DS3.

LEA,s have a lot to answer for.

[bigcar]

Peachy, so sorry to hear your problems, but also share your frustrations. Do you want a special school for ds or are you after full time support? If youre after a special school, have you contacted them directly yourself? Some special schools, especially if they are private, possitively encourage you to go and look round, an excellent opportunity to gain advice about how to get what you want, you can also often ask to be put in touch with parents of children already at that school, another valuable source of info. Some of the schools we contacted were prepared to read over ss notes to see if he fitted their criteria and assess his chances of getting a place there.
If you want mainstream with full support is the senco not supportive, could you ask them for a number to contact ed psych, the school should have one, this sounds like a stalling move. If there is more than 1 ed psych can you ask for a second opinion/reassessment. Surely they cant say you need SALT assessment without refering you to one, thats just stupid, is there one in a neighbouring area, even if it involves travelling on your part?
Please dont give up, i know its hard when you have other kids to worry about as well, but keep the pressure on, they cant ignore you forever!

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Good luck Jenk with the tribunal. Am cheering you on.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

We have been told we can apply for a statement and take LEA to tribunal because they WILL refuse; pay for private all the way; or give up and accept that ds3 will start mainstream without support .

Peachy

Am very sorry to read this.

Do not give up whatever you do; to put your DS in mainstream without any support will be akin to throwing him to the sharks. You of course know this to not be any option at all.

I would apply for the statement regardless of the nay-sayers and take them to Tribunal if it comes to that. Many cases at Tribunal are won by parents and you have a good case.

Have you spoken with IPSEA recently?.

[PeachyClair]

Sorry jenk to hijacl again feel free to mutter at me lol

But have decided what we are doing about ds3- we're not sending him in september full time, end of. Will be writing a letter (and posting it on MN- PLEASE everyone give honest opinions!) that both complains and sets out what we are prepared to do

ideally, thre are 2 sn school options- an asd unit or one that specialises in communication issues. paed wants one of those but without a dx its no go (as they condition specific) and Paed cant dx wiothout salt.

So the letter will make a formal complaiont against behavioural advuisory teacher, and give them options. Worse case scenario DS3 goes to a combo of playgroup / cm for a year- cm has agreed, and ahs got ball rolling by writing to Paeds for us over half term .

So playing ahrd ball. Ds3's only gift in life is his happy disposition; they're not risking that by setting my baby up to fail.

[PeachyClair]

Oh Attilla- spoke to ipsea when it was ds1 but with ds3, have tried almost 50 times and just can't get through - could have done with their advice. DS3 is 4 in July; school cannot apply for a statement until he is 4, by which time they'll be on holidays and unable- and we cannot apply due to sdalt and a resulting lack of ANY paperwork bat these blasted assessments that clearly indicate sn.

[jenk1]

peachy i think you are doing the right thing, your last sentence "they're not risking that by setting my baby up to fail."

Sent shivers down my back cos this is how i feel about DS, and the LEA wanting to put him in a mainstream school so they can say they tried, they are not doing that to him and if i had my time over again, i would do what you are doing with your DS3.

Dont apologise for hijacking this thread, you have just as much right to post on this thread and anyway you are my friend and i said its ok

[flyingmum]

many sympathies regarding the tribunal. LEAS GRRRRR. If you are applying for a state place then it is up to the LEA to make the case as to why they won't provide a place. if it is a private place then it is up to you. The person who helped me is called Claire Franklin, from ASSET charity. She has done about 300 tribunals and really knows her stuff. You do have to pay a bit but it is nothing like the same amount as a solicitor and she guides you through the paperwork, writes chunks and will represent you at tribunal. Her number is 01983 873668. I cannot recommend her enough. she also has an asd son so knows the problems. Another charity is SOS!SEN who are really helpful. Run by a splendid lady called Marion Struthwick. She may well push towards a solicitor (their favourite is Melinda Nettleton - who I think is seriously scarey) but Marion did give me some really useful advice and they run parent training courses with mock tribunals which again was useful because you meet lots of people who have been through it and succeeded or are going through it.
I gave up on IPSEA as I just couldn't get through. The NAS has their own advocacy service as well - although like IPSEA they are pretty pushed for volunteers. If you can scrape together the money somehow for an indpendent SALT assessment and to pay for Claire (she is very very cheap - amazing value for what she does) then I would really recommend it, but I do know it's easier said than done and we were really lucky as my parents helped out a bit with the financials.

Anyway - I've chuntered on - sorry

Best of luck.

[PeachyClair]

Thanks Jenk