Are SEN case workers to be trusted?

You are understandably frustrated. Again what you are describing is a team that has a capacity lower than the level of demand on it. One caseworker can't be simultaneously attending meetings, writing plans and answering the phone. They will be rushing staff into post and asking them to produce high numbers of plans whilst still doing everything else. This will impact quality. And then they are dependent on the quality of advice they receive (my service is similar.

Do you truly and honestly think they are sitting around filing their nails and drinking coffee until you escalate a stage 2 complaint? Is that really likely?

Please vent at the system... It desperately needs higher levels of resourcing and an overhaul. But calling people trying to do a job 'evil' is quite abusive and somewhat childish.

They are working for the local authority and are only interested in saving money. In my experience they never have the childs best interest at heart.

Agreed.

It's like holding the class teacher accountable for national curriculum design and school budget allocation.

no it isn't. a class teacher would in most cases still teach. In my LA, EHCP and hardly ever completed on time. Plans are shoddily written. When you contact the team, then nobody ever picks up the phone, noone returns calls when you ring them. Emails are always ignored, not even acknowledged. It is impossible to get into contact with the team who are clearly not doing their job. The only way to get things going is to go through the LA complaints procedure. You usually have to get to stage 2 in order to get a response. It's more like a teacher who doesn't rock up to work in the first place if you wanna draw analogies.

I'm going to be honest I work in an LA team close to the SEND team and these comments are ridiculous.

A caseworker in a neighbouring LA to mine that I know took their own life earlier this year, work related stress was a high part of it, endless abuse from parents. The team in my LA are constantly working extra hours under huge pressure. I think because you aren't dealing with them face to face it feels acceptable to be abusive to them and it isn't.

They are the front line staff trying to deliver overstretched services with no budget and demand on service that has doubled since the pandemic. Against schools that are increasingly hostile to learners with SEND. Most are from a teaching background and many have children of their own with SEND. They have gone into this role for good reasons.

Suggesting that an entire profession of people have a character flaw of untrustworthiness... You must realise how irrational that is.

They are following processes and policies written by directors and legal teams.

I have 3 children with SEND, and understand the parental perspective, and that does not make this ok. One had a horrific year of crisis, a delayed EHCP, no school place for months and it was awful. It wasn't because anyone was being lazy or not doing their job. It is because the capacity in the system is lower than the need. Same as the NHS.

Do you realise it's not their money, they are not going on a cruise with the money saved if they follow policy and name a mainstream school rather than special etc.

It's like holding the class teacher accountable for national curriculum design and school budget allocation.

They are people and this needs to be remembered.
Edited for typos

No, not at all. The system is stacked against parents and stalling, ignoring communication from parents, ignoring legal deadlines are all standard practice in EHCP teams. It's all part of a system that aims to deny or at least delay often expensive placements for children with disabilities. Given that many placements are tens of thousands a year (plus transport) it is really worth throwing families under the bus even if they win 12 months down the line at tribunal. There is no accountability and no fines for LA if they don't follow the law so delaying tactics save a fortune. All EHCP workers are training in those. I live in an LA where last year, just 6% of EHCP were finalised within the legal time frame. The amount of distress and suffering it causes for the disabled children and their families is awful. I have one who hasn't been in the whole school year and EHCP well overdue. Don't trust them. They are all evil. I think it takes a special kind of person to take that role which has been essentially designed to wreck lives!!!

Based on my experience, I would advise you to get everything in writing. The case workers at my LA have behaved appallingly. Also, if they say they will do something, either chase it or organise it yourself, if practical to do so. Don’t trust that they will do it.

Depends on who you get - money savers or child minded.

Most the time it's money savers.

They work for the la. They do what they are told to do. Most I dealt with were dreadful. One was good and did help to secure the right funding for my dd. I think you need a healthy dose if scepticism. Don't accept everything you are told but be open to their help.

They work on behalf of the Local Authority.

It depends really. But if the LA is paying for an intervention and the school is not delivering it, then a SEN caseworker should care about that no matter whether they are on the child’s side or the LAs side. Least likely they’ll be on the school’s side if the school are failing to deliver what an EHCP is funding (LA and school not necessarily the same side).

but as PP said, always good to have cynicism because -yes, could be untrustworthy but also could just be incompetent/lazy/overworked/undertrained/unbothered: any reason which means they don’t do a very good job.

they’re not all bad though ;)

Never. Always treat them (politely) with healthy suspicion.