Meeting with LEA about proposed statement - help me grow a pair before the day!

[Catsdontcare]

She just phoned, we're meeting Thursday to discuss the crapness that is DS's proposed statement she already has a written copy of all the things i am unhappy with and changes that I want, I'm quite assertive on paper but need tips on how to hold strong in the meeting.

In short not one single thing in ds's statement is specified or quantified.

are you going into the meeting on your own?

yes will be alone thinking that may be a mistake now. Local parent partnership weren't much help tbh and dh can't get time off work.

Not at tribunal stage yet still at proposed statement stage they have my list of concerns and what I want ammended.

Will I be a lamb to the slaughter?

haven't been to such a meeting but really would not go on my own :(

Oh bugger and arse and tits and wank, why did it not occur to me that I would need someone with me?

It's at the LEA offices. Tbh I (rather naively I think) thought it wasn't going to be a bun fight type meeting, so far they have been efficient and cordial on the phone but have unfortunately produced a wonderfully vague statement that is open to interpretation by whoever is in charge of implementing it.

I thought it would be a case of they either agree to the changes or not and if they won't I was planning on telling them to finalise and I would take it to tribunal at THAT point I figured would be the time to be wary of meetings and take reinforcements?!?

I'm concerend about contacting PP (they reside in the same building as the sen officers) and when I called them they said it was perfectly fine and normal for a statement to not be specified and quantified. In her words "Well his needs will change so there is no point"

Ok in fairness I asked for the meeting to when the proposed statement came through i thought that was how it was all meant to be done if you didn't agree with the statement.

Do you think the school senco can give an opinion on this?

Ok will ring senco and see if they can be there to. I wrote a fairly extensive list of things I wanted changing/adding so i don't have much to say in the meeting. i guessing I should let them say if they are going to make changes or not and if not tell them to finalise and will take it to tribunal rather than get into a negotiating process?

arghhhhhhhh! Just in process of filling out dla application too so my head is pickled today

Limit your talking and stick like a broken record to what you want changed. Have the exact wording if you can. If not, offer for them to come up with the specified and quantified wording and thank them if/when they do, but do not agree it. Simply say that you will get back to them shortly. If they can hide behind 'panels', so too can you hide behind absent people (DH, Advocate, Legal Team, MNers - whatever).

If they ask for evidence for your wording be careful to limit your explanations to what is written rather than implied. If the evidence that you give needs to be interpreted then showing them this hand before a tribunal will give them the ammunition they need to stop it.

Absolutely do NOT agree to anything on the day however wonderful it sounds. But do acknowledge their attempts to negotiate if they have done so.

If possible ask if minute can be made and agreed as you go along, signed by everyone present and photocopied before you leave. So the person taking the minutes has to stop you all frequently and read out what has written and you get a chance to clarify or deny any records.

Don't be frightened however. This is NOT your big chance to get it all right. We all put so much hope into these things for it to turn out to be nothing more than a caring carrot easy-earner. They get to fill in their timesheet and fill all important without actually having to see or work with a child.

Thank you for the advice. Dh is now coming having rearrange his work stuff so that will help

Yes it will help. But still explain that before you can agree anything, it will need to go to panel (consideration over the weekend, check it with PP, IPSEA etc.).

Take a note pad and say, my husband will be taking notes in case this has to progress to tribunal status which i!'m sure it won't.

Be very very nice. Iron fist in a velvet glove. When they say xyz. Return it by saying 'I appreciate your position on xyz but, as i said in writing ....

Make sure your husband knows to keep an eye on their own notes and annotations surrepstitiously of course. We stole a march on our lea by my husbands ability to read upside down the name of a school which they told us was just right. By the next day we had visited it and got a letter from that head as to why it wasnt!

Good luck. Remember they are there to do a job and often these are good people who can't deliver anything until it is ratfied by a panel. If you seem very nice, very reasonable but hard as nails and make it clear that you will take it further then that will go further than anything else.

Good luck. Fingers crossed

Thanks some really helPfull advice here. I shall be unfailingly polite but with a steely edge!!

Use the broken record technique repeating what you want and having a link to the professional reports as to why you want it. Make sure you do not agree to anything on the day itself - say you will think about it and get back to them, on anything they are pushing you on agreeing.

We had a similar meeting and the LA woman kept falling back on the argument that if something did not appear in the statutory assessment evidence from the professionals, then she couldn't put it in the statement. So be prepared for that one.

We pointed out that it should be quantified (at least a smidge!) so perhaps she ought to ask the 'professionals' to actually do their job contribute further.

Of course they came back with a load of guff that amounted to about 5 minutes every decade of support "either one to one or in small groups" (this was a special school too). So we're still on the warpath.

You can point out if you're contrary, that they can include recommendations from the experts on the child, namely, you. And that professionals are simply paid people, not automatcally 'experts' at all.

But yes, what schobe said. They may say no-one has recommended specific provision so it can't appear in the reports. Just suggest that the LA resolve that ridiculous ommitance or offer to make the recommendations yourself.