to think that someone is in for a bollocking tomorrow

[Worriedobsessive]

which they richly deserve!

Difficult families?

ceto great post except for your suggestion that LAs have not been "brave" enough to tell the government about the ridiculous deadlines. Of course they bloody have. LAs were pretty much set up to fail on this and they have been telling the government loud and clear. It's not well known for this government, particularly the previous education dept under Gove, to be noted for listening to those workers it pronounces change for.
You can blame the ehcp conversion fiasco on LAs if you also blame the fiasco over changes to GCSE curriculum on teachers not being "brave" enough to tell the government they were under ridiculous deadlines, and the key stage 2 SATS change that took place under ridiculous timescales 2 years ago on year 6 teachers not being "brave" enough to mention that they needed longer to teach the new curriculum.

There is a long and unedifying history of illegality and dodgy practice around the writing of statements and ehcps. They are to blame for that (except that if they gave everyone everything they might need, they'd go bankrupt as they have very small sen budgets, again thanks to government policy, all of the responsibility to deliver but no capacity to get more finance from the government to fund that delivery). And this is a terrible advert which someone should be in severe trouble for. But LAs are really not to blame for the situation they find themselves in wrt ridiculous deadlines imposed by government any more than teachers are to blame for the similar situation wrt GCSEs.

‘Work with difficult families’ as a person spec in the absence of any such clause as ‘support families and children to get relevant help’ or ‘sensitive approach to establishing need’ or ‘ability to work with parents and children who are in very difficult circumstances “ is VERY telling.

^ this

The simple fact of the matter is that there is a perception in local authorities that parents of children who need EHCPs are almost automatically difficult because they are asking the council to spend more money to carry out their legal duty towards children with SEN than the council want to.

And this^. The target is not to help families, it is to limit access to resources.* Very wrong and very sad.*

You can tell from reading these comments those who are fortunate enough to not have had dealings with the ridiculous SEN system.
It is at times soul destroying and like banging your head against a brick wall.
The LAs do not like parents who know their child's rights, they fail to follow the law, they write outcomes that are not quantified or specified and they refuse to answer emails or return phone calls when you try to discuss things with them. They see parents as the enemy and they hope we don't know enough to argue with them.
In short if you know the law you're seen as difficult.

Could be playing SEN bingo here.
All of those inept parents out there fabricating their child's difficulties, would be funny if it wasn't such a familiar story, used against children and their families to dismiss, minimise and deny appropriate support.
We're only just starting down the EHCP route, due to complete and utter failure of schools to put into place some minimal support, lack of which has led to ds having higher support needs, and which means he will not cope in mainstream school.
These are our children, often let down at every turn, and a bloody advert that entrenches the already popular view that parents are needlessly pushy and difficult. Perhaps they need to start looking at why families are apparently difficult.

It doesn't read to me that all families with DCs with SEN are difficult.

However, "families in difficult circumstances" would be better. It's sloppy use of language.

Dressedcrab I’m not in “difficult circumstances” beyond those created by a broken system.

And all of you "lucky" ones are reading comments from us who have to deal with the broken system and still don't see a problem.
This is part of the problem, no one bloody listens to us.

Perhaps families with children with sen wouldnt be so difficult if the lea ,s could actually write the EHCP,s correctly in the first place maybe getting the basics right such as the child's name would be a start (speaks from experience)

You may not be in "difficult circumstances" but my family member sure as hell was.

“Some families have managed to create (and or fabricate) sen in their children due to the chaos and neglect they raise them with.”

Is this a professional opinion or one from the Daily Mail Institue of Research?

Have you read, over the years, the overwhelming number of MNers on the SEN boards, struggling, giving their all, supporting other parents?

I remember a thread many years ago “how do you know you have a child with SEN” and one of the answers being “you have two full filing cabinets of paperwork in your front room”.

Blimey, yes it is,really hard to get a statement at all.

My sister had to sue the LEA for their child to even get a statement. That counts,as "difficult" I guess

If you are not "difficult", you get nowhere in lots of cases....sadly

Great post, Ceto.

I think oldbirdlady has a point, too.

What a terrible state of affairs.

I am one of those difficult parents who eventually just gave up and took her child out of school completely.

The system is set against you from day 1.

You start in reception and are told it is too young to diagnose everything. When it is time you are fobbed off for a few years with they will keep an eye on the situation (ds couldn't read or write). But in the meantime he would have to do the set homework as he couldn't just opt out of the curriculum.
Then they tell you they don't do a diagnosis as soon he would be going to senior school.

At senior school they start again . Keep an eye on the situation etc.

DD was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia at 15.
Ds I took out of school in year 8 when he couldn't read or write but was still expected to write essays etc.

You are made to feel like an inconvenience and they would love you to go away. Which is what a lot of people do.

You can blame the ehcp conversion fiasco on LAs if you also blame the fiasco over changes to GCSE curriculum on teachers not being "brave" enough to tell the government they were under ridiculous deadlines, and the key stage 2 SATS change that took place under ridiculous timescales 2 years ago on year 6 teachers not being "brave" enough to mention that they needed longer to teach the new curriculum.

Absolutely!!

I notice there is no mention of the salary in the ad!

This wasn't written by the LA. The advert is looking for agency staff to work with a particular LA so was written by a recruitment agency.

Perhaps it would be better phrased as a "difficult role". It is certainly not a role I would like to fulfill as you are sandwiched between the f the higher officials of the LA demanding that you do not spend money due to budget constraints and the demands of parents wanting to get the needs of their children with SEN met. I remember one SEN caseworker saying her job was to make sure the children with the most needs were supported and not those with parents who shouted the loudest. I do not know which category our family fell into.

Wow....I'm a "difficult" parent I guess.
Have 2 DC with SEN.
I find it offensive, why wouldn't you ? How are we difficult? Troublesome, difficult circumstances, fucking nightmares??? I don't understand.

Now... We are a complex family, with complex needs. I'd take that ... it describes us perfectly !!!
I can be difficult if needs be...maybe all the SEN parents should live up to the stereotype!!!

I worked with 1 family where the children were pretty neglected. The DS I worked with had SEN. But it was almost impossible to tell what was the result of SEN, and what was the result of neglect.

And your point is what, Brasty?

OneInEight “ I remember one SEN caseworker saying her job was to make sure the children with the most needs were supported and not those with parents who shouted the loudest.“

I’ve come Across this to and unfortunately even though it may come from a place of being well-meaning, they send caseworker is actually just perpetrating the problem further. All children have the right to be properly supported, legally. Not just the ones who win the “I have the strongest need “lottery.

My point is that not all parents with a SEN child are decent parents.

Worried There are not enough resources to meet all support needs. This job is about rationing ultimately. So yes, they do need to prioritise those with the highest needs.

I think the people who don't see the problem are being deliberately disingenuous.

Brasty no one is saying all SEN parents are perfect so I’m confused as to why you keep conflating SEN and neglect.

And you are completely and utterly wrong to assert that the job is about rationing. It absolutely isn’t. Children with special educational needs are protected by law and this is why so many of us and upper tribunal. Purely because of attitude like yours. The local authority do not have the right to decide which laws apply to them and which ones they don’t Have to follow.

What's the issue? They must have a few difficult family to deal with in the same way that anyone in a public facing role would have to deal with difficult clients.