LA tossers

[appropriatelytrained]

I wrote three weeks ago and told the LA we would be late filing our S&LT update for Tribunal as the S&LT was busy and can't see SA until next week/

Oh, they said, I think we will be objecting to that. You've known about Tribunal since February.

So I wrote to SENDIST and explained the delay and why it was in the best interests of the child to have all the evidence before Tribunal etc.

Today I check with Tribunal and LA have filed NOTHING themsleves. Deadline was last Tuesday. NOTHING. Cheeky little shits. They are clearly going to be late with their updates and they haven't sent in their updates S&LT and still they wanted to refuse my open and transparent application.

And I'm vexatious!

Our posts crossed AT, we seem to have gone through similar rubbish, can't wait to join up and battle with those decepticons and get this sorted for others!

I'm up for a campaign

I think that is what Star had in mind. Maybe a summer brainstorming is in order?

Can we all get to somewhere to meet? London? Thrash out an agenda?

Yes, think we xposted there justa. Star was developing this. Maybe if we can sort out how we can all meet, we can get together in the summer?

Maybe when we get Star's big idea up and running we could put stuff like this into a survey monkey and show how much deliberate delay etc / common tactics used etc I know she wants to collect stories / letters if we can show x families around the country went to Tribunal and all had to face similar deliberate tactics eg last minute witnesses, using tribunal as delay tactic etc etc
Like SOSSEN have their weasel words page - we could have a dirty tricks webpage
It is about collecting these stories - strength in numbers
There is f* all in the SEN Green Paper about LAs causing most of the problems no recognition at all that its not parents but LAs that are the problem

Yes, the line that really got to me in the Green Paper was Para 1.28 which refers to ?Local Authorities, with their role as champions for vulnerable children and families?.
If only that was true.....
Until I entered the SEN system, I had no idea, no comprehension of how appallingly a public service could behave!

Absolutely agnes. They get away with it because they isolate and bully parents and make them feel like they are the problem.

This site demonstrates that this is not the case. That this corporate bullying is common practice -at taxpayer's expense.

But it is no wonder that these public authorities don't give a toss, they have no real oversight mechanism. They would laugh at the idea of being judicially reviewed as it never happens in the SEN world. Who has the time and energy after fighting for provision?

So I've spent months raising legal points about the way they practice which they probably just bin as who cares if they are breaking the law. The Ludicrous Government Ombudsman doesn't want to know. Their bosses are the ones instructing them to do this and to the outside world is sounds so far fetched it must be our fault

Pulling stories together would be a crucial first step.

Had a meeting with class teacher today who said that my appearing in the media and talking about the dire state of sen and how parents have to fight and it really, really does take a long time etc to get proper provisions has hurt a lot of people who felt that they always had my ds's interest at heart and have only ever wanted what was best for him. This group includes outside agencies as well as his past teachers and other staff. Well, as far as I am concern, and the documents revealed by my DPA request shows, everyone did the minimum and I did not know any better. Only when I started requesting that my ds's education was taken seriously and indicated my willingness to go to tribunal did everyone actually do anything. In fact, the Ed Psych's note stated that all signs indicated that I was preparing for SENDIST so advice proceeding with that in mind. The Ed. Psych actually started making recommendations with regards to helping my ds learn!

OH, and the council's response to the media is that most parents are satisfied with the sen provision.

Don't let them get you trying.

This is what they do:

1. Ignore the problem
2. Respond with SA when forced
3. Finalise statement with minimum amount of vague and unspecified provision they can get away with

4.Fail to arrange provision in accordance with the law

1. Improve the statement only when forced to by law

And throughout that time, we sit in the middle, watching everyone feel sorry for themselves and lie to you as they FAIL to give your child his minimum legal entitlements.

We act as an unpaid multi-disciplinary team as we are the only ones who really understand our child's needs, yet they exclude us where they can so they can 'tick off' outcomes they can't measure with no evidence of progress.

Ignore their self-pity. You get too close to their pensions and they all start bleating.

You are brave and it takes more parents like you to make a change. How many understandably give up as they run out of cash or watch it wreck their home or work life? How many don't know that LA 'policies' are unlawful and do not reflect the law so fall for the 'you don't meet the criteria' bullshit.

Don't let them get to you. You are being the change you want to see and you should be proud of yourself.

Thanks for the kick guys, - you all have mail.

Anyone not received anything but want to be involved, PM me with your email address.

Thanks Star! I think we're all fired up for this at the moment!

trying . if they had any integrity they would not be playing the poor me card but would agree that unfortunately they are not resourced/trained etc to provide adequate education to kids with SN/SEN. It's not about their feelings as employees, it's about maxing our kids' future chance of living and working as independently as possible.

I think a lot of us would accept LESS provision and resources from the 'pot' if we had better working relationships with the schools and felt a part of our children's school lives and that our input was valued.

But you can't have a relationship with sneaky defensive liars, who have been put up to it by the situation they have been forced into by the LA.

I agree. It's the quality of provision that is important and if they spent more time putting money into proper training, using evidence based interventions and measuring them properly, rather than applying resources to defeat Tribunal claims, there would be less Tribunal claims and less angry parents.

Rotten through and through and unless they take this sorry state of affairs away from LAs, any SEN Green paper will be lipstick on a pig

Thanks for the kind words. Wish I had met you lot earlier - so much wasted time for ds.

Total - I don't think school will ever agree that they are not adequately trained but they do think that I do not know what is best for my ds and my opinions may be considered but should be dismissed as I am not in the teaching profession.

It is difficult to have any kind of relationship with school as in real life I do not often meet people who think it is all right to frequently lie/twist the facts etc in order to justify their actions. It took me awhile to realize that these people have a very occasional relationship with truth and that I should question the things they say.