Worst LA place to live for SEN

[wasuup3000]

I vote Lancashire!!!

Ineed similar to us. ASD not a 'health' issue so not their problem.

Support is supposed to be through education, but the ASD specialist service have only since DD once in 6 years. Failed to get a statment as no LD so little support in school, just want is not delivered through IEP.

In other words getting the dx meant diddly squat in terms of services :(

My solicitor said Southampton was the very worst.

I think rural china might be the worst - just....

Scotland. At least everywhere else has statements that have actual legal standing. Having just challenged school on lack of IEP (and retrospectively googled) I have just learned that having an up to date IE fucking P is only considered 'good practice'.

Here in the East of Angular there are no specific ASD schools unless you can afford private and severe/non verbal. We have been lucky enough to have a brilliant outreach lady who has changed our lives massively.

ANyone from Wales? Wales any good, anyone? Always fancied living in Wales?

Cornwall - referred to in our home as "the land the NHS forgot".
Southwark - once you get on that Tribunal carousel you cannot get off (not uncommon to have to go 4-5 times for the same child to retain support)
Herts, Greenwich, Essex - we bring new light to the term "dishonest corruption"
Heard nothing good about Birmingham or Nottingham either.

Can anyone tell I'm desperate to reocate lol!

Me too! I have the choice of Stoke or Surrey as thats where DH's firms other offices are...

Wish we could afford to!! Thanks zzzzz

I live in Surrey. DD has ASD, high functioning. I have 3 close friends who also have kids with ASD, all very different from DD and with different needs. All of us have had pretty much what we've asked for, some took longer to get than others, no tribunals. We got a statement for DD before she was 3. We have 1:1 full time at her mainstream pre-school, we've had a great speech and language class (only 4 other kids with DD) with a speech therapist and an assistant where our DD's language really flourished. We've had OT with sensory integration although that was only for 8 sessions. We've paid for some stuff privately and currently pay for an amazing therapist/child psychotherapist to go into DD's pre-school once a week. Both the pre-school and the infant school she is going to in September are happy to liaise with our therapist and include her in DD's education. We've had two educational psychologists, both have been fabulous.

My 3 friends took longer to get statements. Two of them got places at special pre-schools for ASD's. All 3 have their first choice for schools for their kids - including a specialist speech and language unit and a specialist ASD school.

It has been a struggle sometimes but I have learned that generally everyone involved has wanted to help and do their best within the confines of their job roles, budgets etc. Yes, in an ideal world everyone would have access to ABA and private funding like in other countries where parents have the authority to choose their early intervention (like in Alberta, Canada where i'm from) and i'm sure if any of us had wanted ABA we would have had to fight for it. Sadly like everything else in this world it all comes down to the money.

I would never leave Surrey unless I was going back home to Canada, every bit of my DD's provision has been useful and helpful and she's doing really well. It hasn't always been rosy and when I first started down the road I used to get angry a lot at how long things took or all the stupid steps you have to take but it is what it is. I don't think you'll do badly moving down to Surrey - plus its nice down here :)

West Yorkshire, - no support, ignore warning signs from early years, lie, change reports, NO SLI, or language units what so ever, fob you off with excuses, refuse to listen to the parents concerns, the SN units only cater for those with complex needs. yet nothing for those with specific needs.

Im having to think about moving myself.

Rotherham came across REALLY well at the House of Commons thingy.

They appear to have at least attempted to implement many of the Lamb report recommendations and have a very strong parent consultantion group.

The rep from the parent group and and Ed Psych attended together singing each others praises! I could tell that it has been hard work for them and things are not always rosy but ATTITUDE was certainly very impressive.

Kent

I wonder why Birmingham are so bad? I have experience of Staffordshire and they were excellent, but we are talking 11 years ago really

Kent is shocking. really shocking.

Surrey - mixed, tbh. there is really good (if it suits your dc) provision, but as ever oversubscribed. we had no problem in gaining approval for out of county/independent placement, though. the ABA fight was harder, and without a substantial amount of self funding, i don't think we'd have won. it seems to be the case that, if you can prove 'need' rather than 'want', then Surrey are mostly amenable, but there are still hoops to jump through. because there is a reasonably good amount of 'inhouse' provision, which is good (many parents go to tribunal to get into these), it can be hard to get the LA to listen to what you want if it differs. but if you get past that hurdle, then it seems to be straightforward.

Kent are shocking, infact when I moved here even admissions were shocked at the statement my daughter had. The statement was issued by another county prior to moving to Kent and over the years Kent removed all the previous information on the statement (we were NEVER given copies, infact we were told we couldn't have them) So when we moved there was no history AT ALL on the statement, just a few sentences under sub sections, terrible! The physio/healthcare was pretty shocking too :( they even missed severe scoliosis despite my questioing about it. I dread to think what would have happened if we hadn't have moved.

appropriatelyemployed - I like it very succinct and more accurate.

Leonie - that article is dreadful. The Daily Mail are racist and full of crap about these things.

SEN and ESL are separate issues and funding for one should not affect the other. A child should not be, legally, listed as having SEN because they don't speak English.

Suffolk is dreadful. AS Spinkle says no ASD specific schools and no units attached to schools. Just generic special schools. Poor and a massive struggle to get SALT or OT.