Are SEN case workers to be trusted?

[Ricecakesaremyjam]

Are local authority SEN case workers to be trusted? Do they work to serve the child, or on behalf of the school who aren’t delivering EHCP interventions?
Can anyone advise?! Thanks x

Ah, got it. So when it's your experience we should all take it as fact. But when others recount their experience then they are "delusional" or "ridiculous".

(But parents are doing the name-calling not you)

None of which I have said. So hypocritical of you to use those words towards me.

And if anyone had said caseworkers were on an ego trip you would have accused them of bullying and personal attacks, so it is hypocritical of you to describe someone else as that.

I understand that, but the LA have to manage provision for all of the kids. Stamping your feet and shouting 'its the law' doesn't create enough capacity to implement every aspect of the law for all those kids. We can all stamp our feet and shout that. The tricky bit is making the inadequate resources make this possible for all of those with an EHCP. Any words of wisdom on how to do this, or are we back to stamping our feet and shouting 'its the law' like a broken record?

All parents should be supported to advocate for their child and enforce their child’s rights. Everyone can do this and everyone should be supported to. That works.

By the way I know what the answer is .. more financial resources, caseworkers, special school places, pressure from Ofsted on mainstreams to be inclusive, more resources provisions, better SEND training in initial teacher training and clear funding to support the cure cohort of learners through the current crisis. That would go a long way. And reviewing the current 2 part rule for assessment being so low. This is what is causing the EP bottle neck.

Sat like the caseworkers, none of this is in my remit.

Yes. Absolutely. If the LA were properly held to account and made to follow the law, for each and every case, they would quite likely have to declare that they’re about to go bust. Then the mechanism is that central government step in and ensure that the statutory duties are discharged and usually another set of management are brought in too.

And that’s what needs to happen.

By your misguided efforts in trying to do what you can with an inadequate budget, you become part of the problem. And your solidly unlawful stance means that the most vulnerable members of society get fucked over - the very people that you personally purport to be helping.

So either follow the law or go and do something else.
There. Fixed that for you.

Actually, my experience has been that the SEND panel will try to give the LA the benefit of the doubt as much as they can. They are required to do this - they will need to be very sure that it’s reasonable to allow a parent’s appeal.

I have three questions to ask you about the experience you describe;

1. if the judge in your case made a legal error because he was only concerned with his ego, did your LA appeal against this decision, as would have been reasonable?
2. How did you know that his decision making was to do with his ego?
3. Did you read the decision in its entirety?

I would ask that you stop aiming your victimhood at me - it’s tiresome.

Absolutely. Not by calling caseworkers names but to successfully navigate the system.
Another area that needs attention in my opinion is advocacy services.

I have always worked in areas with good SENDIASS organisations, but I don't hear this is the case everywhere.

Independent advocacy is like the Wild West, completely unregulated. Some amazing independent advocates, some mediocre and some who are crap and even worse financially exploiting vulnerable families.

Also advocacy needs to start earlier, at the school level graduated approach so the quality of reports etc can be influenced by schools etc rather than later on in the process.

It’s not our problem. We have enough on our plates so forgive me - I’m rather disinclined to get my tiny violin out for the poor LAs who can’t possibly provide children with what they need.

How would it go down for you if your house was burgled and the police did nothing? This is happening atm because of stretched resources.

I agree with you about SENDIASS, Some are good, but far too many repeat the LA’s unlawful policies. I also agree about some advocates. Whilst some are good, there are some who do more harm than good. Neither of which excuse unlawful behaviour by LAs. If LAs and other services acted lawfully, the demand for such services would dramatically reduce.

Surely saying some advocates are "crap" is the same as saying some Case Officers are crap? I mean, that's the exact word I would use for a lot of Case Officers, definitely not evil but certainly a bit crap.

Bog off with your victim hood nonsense. If you can only make points by name calling you're argument is very flawed.

I can't be arsed, I'm trying to cook tea, not participate in preparation of a fucking tribunal bundle.

If you want to believe all tribunal panels are flawless, knock yourself out I cannot be bothered convincing you otherwise.

All you ant to hear is LAs are awful and SEND parents (apart from me obvs) are saints who are wronged at every turn. There is no nuance or variability to this of course.

Some people in any profession will be crap. That is not the same as untrustworthy (the point being debates on this thread).
However case workers get paid a flat salary regardless, whereas there are some (certainly not all) advocates charging by the hour, and there who have a personal financial gain to be made pursuing inappropriate courses of action for their own financial gain.
I emphasise not all. A significant minority ruining things for the others.we just need regulation of th advocacy industry.

You don't care. Which is right and proper for a parent but not professionals. . That is the crux of it.

Can you give me some examples of LA decisions, that aren't down to delays/performance due to capacity or limited resources.

It's too easy to repeat these catchphrases 'unlawful decisions' like the bloody middle aged SEND team down at the town hall are a bunch of master criminals ...

Give actual examples ..

I am an officer at my local IAS service.

There are incredible case officers, there are case officers who should be sacked immediately. However, no matter how good or bad they are, no matter how well intentioned they are they are all just mouth pieces for management decisions.

They can only put in content that is as good as the reports they get. They don't make the decisions. They have very little say.

But some are absolutely diabolical.

You are overestimating what individuals can do. I work in an LA team. If I want to agree to fund something both managers and I have to agree the paperwork and the finance officer who makes a Bacs payment checks this. When my account on the it systems was set up, it includes my authorisation levels.
Their.work is randomly scrutinized. What do you think individuals can do? Schools won't agree placements with a car officer, they know the drill, they ask for the panel date and the specifics of what was agreed.
What you're suggesting is not physically possible.

Okay. Sure.

But are they untrustworthy characters just because of th job they do? That is the title of the thread...

You personally can:

1. Follow the law

or

2. Leave.

So if all the case officers left, explain to me how that would improve delays, waitlist and capacity.

Step by step...

Naming a school when it is (legally) inappropriate for provision to be made in a school and the LA employees have acknowledged such in writing. Refusing to issue an EHCP on the basis the child is in an independent school. Yes, the LA put this in writing. Refusing to assess despite the child being in an early years assessment placement, in receipt of early years inclusion funding and already having had EP and SALT reports. I could go on.

Capacity and limited resources are not lawful excuses for acting unlawfully, though.

Yes. Utterly. And you’ve demonstrated that in your own posts again and again. You may think yourself to be a moral arbiter but actually you’re not doing your job properly. If you were, you’d be acting lawfully.

It's difficult. The vast majority are genuinely well meaning even if not always competent or able to challenge effectively. Communication is a huge issue.

My LA has about 30 case officers and there are maybe 3 or 4 who I would not trust as far as I could throw them. We've had to raise internal concerns due to deliberate misleading of parents that we can evidence. The biggest issue though is these 3/4 seem to have an absolute contempt for parents and seem to resent parents for being parents. We've had to raise more than once about the way these case officers have spoken about children to their families (and behind their backs). But 3/4 out of 30 shows it is not case officers as a whole.

Competence is definitely more of an issue. We have a few i can only describe as being away with the fairies and you have to remind them lots to follow through but it isn't the same deliberate bad intentions.

Now who's delusional!