to think that someone is in for a bollocking tomorrow

[Worriedobsessive]

which they richly deserve!

Difficult families?

[DJBaggySmalls]

I wonder if they'll advertise for people needed to work with a difficult manager?

[Worriedobsessive]

That’s a very good point.

“Must be able to work with untrained dickheads who believe they are above the law. An ability to lie through your teeth is a distinct advantage. Applications from the disinterested and incompetent are particularly welcomed.”

[NameChangedAndForgotOldName]

Oooh.... Are you the original Facebook poster or a friend of hers??

[Worriedobsessive]

Neither, it’s gone viral

[NameChangedAndForgotOldName]

Aah I didn't know that. I'm a friend of hers.

[Worriedobsessive]

Who? The person who broke the story? Bloody good for her! SNJ have picked it up now!

[overnightangel]

What’s the correct terminology to use then? “Challenging”?
Not being funny just curious

[Worriedobsessive]

There’s no need for ANY terminology! Why would there be? Unless the LA thought that the families of kids with SEN were pains in the arse...

[brasty]

Maybe not good to put on advert, but surely anyone in a public facing role does have to deal with difficult people?

[TeoTorriateKonomamaiko]

Surely it doesn't mean that ALL families of children with SEN are "difficult", just that some are, and that the applicant needs to be able to deal with that.

Same as some families of non-SEN children are difficult.

Think people are seeing offence where none is.

[AdalindSchade]

Oh bloody hell!
That's horrendous

[aquashiv]

A detailed knowledge of the SEN code to ignore and confuse those difficult families...
Who are these people?

[SingySongy]

Oh good grief.

It would be acceptable and appropriate to ask for excellent communication skills and experience in managing difficult conversations.

[Thetoothyteeth]

I dont understand the 'write good outcomes' part - does that mean "paint a rosy picture for stats" or does it mean present an outcome in the correct format?...

[DayManChampionOfTheSun]

I think anyone working in a school will be working with difficult families at some point, regardless of SEN status

[thecatfromjapan]

Person who wrote the spec has also missed the capitalisation of "March" - though I realise that is rather off the point. Or perhaps it isn't? The advert was clearly written with very little thought. It's depressing.

[Sienna9522]

🤦🏻‍♀️ Some people will take offence at anything!

Some families ARE difficult! It doesn't say anywhere in that advertisement it applies to ALL families of SEN children. I maybe would have used the word challenging as oppose to difficult, but that's about it!

[Worriedobsessive]

Teotorriate you’re massively missing the point. SEN families may be difficult, as well as many other things including being pissed off with being fucked over by LA and School incompetence. But it appears that makes us “difficult”.

[JetCityWoman]

'difficult' parent here. I would joyfully drag them over hot coals for that.

[JetCityWoman]

Sienna9522 yes some families are but to make a sweeping statement that all parents of SEN children are difficult thus labelling us as pains in the arse sets whomever takes the job with a bias that we SEN parents are to be 'battled' with.

challenging is just as bad.

'ability to work with families with complex needs' would be a better way to describe this. This sets it out as a problem to solved not a battle to be won.

[ElizabethG81]

Agree that any job working in schools or other similar settings will inevitably at some point involve working with "difficult" families. "Challenging" would have been a better word to use, but otherwise people need to chill out a bit.

[brasty]

Worried Do you really think only decent families have SEN children? All kinds of families have SEN children, including difficult ones.

[DingDongDenny]

So they 'must be able to write good outcomes' not work with the child and family to determine their outcomes - no need for that! Just write some good ones yourself. Don't want those difficult families getting involved

[Worriedobsessive]

Exactly, Brasty. So why mention “difficult”?

[ElizabethG81]

JetCity, there's no sweeping statement that all parents of SEN children are difficult.