Experience of LGO

[insanityscatching]

I have a complaint being investigated by LGO at the minute although not hopeful that anything will come from it.
I'd love to hear others' experiences. Have missed a phone call from them this week but tbh it would have been a waste of time taking it because I don't have any of the papers anyway to refer to here with me and I'm trying to escape all that crap anyway.
It's pretty obvious that LEA haven't done as they should seeing as school year starts next Monday and we still don't have a finalised statement 9 months after transition review but what can I expect from the LGO?
I don't expect a slap on the wrist will bother them seeing as they seem unconcerned with their statutory duty and they certainly aren't troubled by prospect of Tribunal or Judicial Review.
What exactly are the LGO's powers anyway? I put in the complaint because I was pissed off tbh rather than considering what I wanted from it if I'm being honest

But why would the government want to sort out the mess?

I mean the government are only interested in things that affect the voters (And this particular one, hardly that).

And what voter is interested in solving a problem they don't know or believe exists, or indeed even care exists? The more the government can cover up the less it will bother the voters. All the better if they can paint the disabled community as draining and whinging.

I don't think that it is all out deliberate btw. I think it is just that very few people in power actually CARE. You cannot gain points for being a champion of a cause that no-one knows about, believes or cares about.

Star the LEA have now decided my solicitor is vexatious so how will that work?

Oh blimey!

I suppose you just have 20 back up people and keep getting vexatious labels, you can then submit your LA as being the one with whom the most people get vexatious.

If they are all women, you can ask under FOI how many women vs men have been labelled as vexatious and acuse them of sex discrimination and insist that they all go on a training course to address their hate of women.

Or ask them to explain why one person is vexatious with 3 letters, but someone else it takes 26 letters.

Oh I dunno, I'm making things up. But it isn't impossible to make a mockery of this particular system and highlight it.

My solicitor has sent five letters since June so how can that be vexatious. At least two of them were reminders that they had missed the deadline anyway. I think that anyone questioning them or their methods will be labelled tbh perhaps they hope that we accept whatever they say without question to avoid the vexatious label.

I think the definition of vexatious is someone who requires a disproproportionate amount of time/resource and therefore tax-payers money.

The problem is though that the reason our questions take time to answer is because their systems are up the spout.

I once asked how many children with Autism that started in mainstream schools in our LA were still in mainstream schools by the end of primary school, and what percentage completed their time at mainstream secondary.
They responded that this would take up too much time as they would have to go and find each individual child.

FFS, why isn't the autism service tracking this kind of thing.

But the solicitor is only communicating with them because they haven't done what they should have done. We want a final statement, they should have issued one in February,once they issue one we can go to Tribunal. I don't think they get it tbh

I guess answering questions about why they are flouting the law and delaying provision is considered to be unreasonable use of tax payers money then.

What does your solicitor say about it?

btw, I heard today that one of the charities is prepared to give me a rep because of the potential legal complexity of my case but expecially because I have got what they consider to be a hostile LA.

That should make me worried but actually it makes me feel a whole lot better. Someone sensible, who knows about these things agrees with me. It is such a relief to not be such an isolated consipracy theorist.

They want to rep for me though but I really don't think that is the right way to go about it. Still it is great that I have their support.

She is bemused, wrote to them calling them irrational, wrote to me saying she has never before experienced anything like it and needs to take counsel to see if we can proceed to JR.

Are you talking SOSSEN ? Are they proposing EW as your rep? She is our solicitor and have only heard good things about her tbh.

Insanity - looks like we are having a similar experience - PM me if you want to let off steam and share who your nightmare LA are!

No. ALthough they DID propose her, but not for free.

One of the reasons we cannot afford a rep is because our LA fights are always post-tribunal if parents win, and we are saving up for that.

It was a different charity and I think they are suggesting one of their own trained reps who has access to a solicitor, rather than being one iyswim.

I wish I knew too Insanity. Is it one I've contacted through my mad FOI moment?

Yes and easily identifiable because no end of FOI requests have missed the deadline. You have asked for internal review I think well I assume it's you (ABA question)
Have you got anything from your internal review request?

Yes that's me. A few needed to go to Internal Review. Most changed their minds but not all. I could 'get em' by suggesting that no reasonable LA would withold the information (since the others did not) but tbh I think their response says enough about them and I need to reserve my ICO contacts for my personal battles iyswim.

Does anyone know if legal aid is available for LGO complaints? If it is about lack of provision, this presumably could be done in the child's name.

I want to know the same thing, AT, in case we need to go to judicial review of LGO decision. I earn too much to get Legal Aid, but definitely can't afford the estimated £15k for legal help with judicial review! From extensive googling, I think you'd have a better chance of getting legal aid because of lack of provision. Mine's just a complaint, iyswim.

Good luck with your battle starlight, hope you get the support you need.