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Draft SEN legislation - worrying!

317 replies

AgnesDiPesto · 02/10/2012 20:22

SOSSEN views on draft legislation here

If you have views you can submit them to Ambitious About Autism by 11 October here although probably other routes too.

SOSSEN urging everyone to complain to their MP about removing parental rights.

OP posts:
Veritate · 04/10/2012 21:56

It's always great to spread the word that solicitors like that are mostly bluff. In my friend's case, he produced a great long defence quoting case law which at first sight was quite intimidating, till her solicitor pointed out that it is what he churns out every time, much of it was irrelevant, and the tribunal isn't impressed anyway by being told what they already know.

Whilst parents with good solicitors or advisers can stand up to him, unfortunately he probably gets results from people who don't have competent representatives and who simply don't expect those tactics.

mariamma · 04/10/2012 22:03

Bluff, bullying, irrelevant nonsense. Sounds familiar...

Does he represent councils when their staff take them to employment tribunals?

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/10/2012 22:21

Sure, but the problem is the system that allows idiotic bluffing solicitors enough wins to be worth paying.

In a fair and transparent system solicitors like this would stand no chance.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/10/2012 22:21

Possibly Maria.

AgnesDiPesto · 04/10/2012 22:55

My LA hired him after we won our tribunal ( a big ABA package for a 3 year old). They haven't spent an extra penny on the under 5's ASD provision which we showed up as being substandard, but they have managed to get £10,000's pa through the council for legal advice.

OP posts:
Veritate · 04/10/2012 22:58

I heard he advertises to LAs that he will help them get rid of ABA packages, though he took it off the website when someone complained to their local councillor that they were employing a solicitor who thought it was appropriate to do that when it's the LA's duty to supply the support the child actually needs, not the least they think they can get away with.

appropriatelyemployed · 04/10/2012 23:04

Veritate - my response was not hostile. I simply asked the poster (who I thought was high-handed and I am entitled to my views) what had brought her to the board.

She had not introduced herself so I did not know whether she was a parent or advocating for a particular charity's position as some appear to have been on this thread.

Her response was to suggest that I was somehow 'appropriately employed' in education which I am not. I explained this politely.

I don't see how posters raking over things that happened hours ago is helping this.

This thread has has many posts by posters I don't recognise advocating agendas or charities promoting their people or telling us to wait for their responses etc. Yet, most of these charities are a complete waste of space. They run to the hills at the thought of even clear cut legal challenges. I spent half an hour on the phone with a senior director of one charity recently who wanted to speak to me so she could advocate for poor LAs' confusion over the pathfinder project.

I will watch how you get on with your submissions.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/10/2012 23:06

Maria, I've checked and yes you're right.

HotheadPaisan · 04/10/2012 23:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AgnesDiPesto · 04/10/2012 23:17

Yes we know him as the ABA Terminator on here.

He still has this on his website from 2011:

Parents are increasingly requesting local authorities to fund home based programmes for children with Statements of Special Educational Needs. Commonly they arise in the early years when the child is not of complusory school age. Parents will argue that the child requires an early intervention approach such as ABA or SONRISE to support their child into full-time schooling.

However, unlike early years providers, home education providers are not subject to any form of statutory regulation. Vast amounts of public money are being spent on providing programmes for children with very little outcomes being seen for the child and little accountability for the quality of provision being provided. We have direct experience of the following:

Home programmes being delivered and supervised by unqualified teaching professionals.Parents leaving their children at home with tutors, unsupervised. Lack of CRB clearance of tutors. Children never integrating into school.Children only attending school on a part-time basis as it is felt they are not ready to go to school.Parents refusing to engage with professional services.Lack of adherence to the National Curriculum.Children failing to generalise skills in other settings, including school.Parents using programmes as a form of childcare.

Baker Small is proposing to petition the Department for Education to require home education providers to be registered with Ofsted and to sign up to a Code of Practice requiring them to meet the same standards as schools and early years providers. This will ensure that home programmes are subject to regular monitoring and are accountable for the support they provide to children. Assessment of programmes should not be based on "parental perception" but clear assessment by professionals. It will also ensure that public funds are used appropriately and that there is proper regulation of providers. This will ensure that parents, children and local authorities can have confidence in the provision being provided.

Odd thing is our LA mainstream ASD nursery package was not good quality, did not have good outcome, was not delivered by qualified teaching staff, my DS was not integrated into school (he sat on his own in the corner and was left out of the Xmas play), he only went part-time, the professional services refused to engage with parents, no skills were learnt so there were none to generalise but even if there had been no-one came into the home anyway, and I used it as a form of childcare (it was a childcare nursery) and god forbid I left my child there with nursery staff who were not qualified teachers unsupervised! Oh and Michael Gove has gone and got rid of the need to adhere to the national curriculum Grin

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 04/10/2012 23:24

I'm sure you'll do your homework Agnes, but I know quite a bit about this geezer now and his arguments.

One being that tribunals should not put PECS into statements because it is a commercial product Hmm, and that ABA Consultants are not EYFS Settings Hmm Grin

If you're going to tea with him in the near future I'd be happy to share some things.

bialystockandbloom · 04/10/2012 23:31

Ah it is indeed the bastard one I thought.

Baker Small is proposing to petition the Department for Education to require home education providers to be registered with Ofsted and to sign up to a Code of Practice requiring them to meet the same standards as schools and early years providers. This will ensure that home programmes are subject to regular monitoring and are accountable for the support they provide to children. Assessment of programmes should not be based on "parental perception" but clear assessment by professionals.

Actually not such a bad idea, as anyone who does ABA can obviously provide clear evidence of progress and support based on solid data! As opposed to the immeasurable, unsubstantiated "eclectic mix" bollocks provision offered by LAs.

Bit of a side issue. But depressing to see that he's cropping up muddying the waters Sad

appropriatelyemployed · 04/10/2012 23:32

"It will also ensure that public funds are used appropriately and that there is proper regulation of providers."

God if only this t**t applied that logic to the bastards he represents. What a way to make a living.

appropriatelyemployed · 04/10/2012 23:33

I'm not sure how and why he did get into SOS-SEN's briefing. Who gives a toss what he thinks? I don't give a shit what he's telling LAs - it's not the law. Why waste time on him in a document about major changes to the legal system?

appropriatelyemployed · 04/10/2012 23:34

SOS-SEN wasting time I mean. I wonder who did do their document?

perceptionreality · 04/10/2012 23:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/10/2012 23:40

Because AE, the system is so unaccountable and crap that he gets away with winning where he shouldn't and LA's take his word as red.

He might be telling them lies. But if they believe it, and hire him to deliver it, it could well lead to a favourable outcome for the LA despite the law, as it does now.

appropriatelyemployed · 04/10/2012 23:45

I can see that Star and agree completely.

It's just not presented like that in the SOS-SEN document so I'm not sure that those comments make any sense in that document or help the case they're tryign to make.

Sorry I'm getting progressively bad-tempered about all this. Just been landed with a limited capability for work assessment for my brother with cerebral palsy who has never been able to work a day in his 46 year life.

People with disabilities just get treated like shit and my lawyer's brain thinks you challenge detrimental changes to the law by reading about the changes properly and not getting lost in stories about nasty lawyers.

That is what a select committee will listen to anyway - fwiw.

StarlightMcKenzie · 04/10/2012 23:50

Perception, I can't quite believe it myself tbh. It is quite lonely carrying the history of all that has happened in recent years because no-one in rl would believe it. They'd treat me as a bonkers conspiracy theorist with MBP and probably other personality disorders. Thank God for MN.

I went to register dd at the GP in our new LA today. A kind HV introduced herself and promised 'services'. I told her 'I don't mean to be rude, but I'd rather seek out services on my own terms if and when I need them!' She was a bit surprised but okay I think.

AgnesDiPesto · 04/10/2012 23:51

I think more and more LAs are signing him up
Perhaps its that LAs want to believe him.
Star it may come to that - AR battle 2 is just around the corner.

OP posts:
StarlightMcKenzie · 04/10/2012 23:52

Oh no AE. I hope you get your brother sorted. No wonder you're bad-tempered.

appropriatelyemployed · 04/10/2012 23:56

They should write an expose of him - name and shame.

Star, I am with you on the conspiracy theorist stuff. Try making a complaint to anyone after the LA brands you vexatious and then tells the world about it.

We face our second Tribunal this year too - and a JR - and a reconsideration of an 19 month old LGO complaint - and 2 complaints to the ICO and a complaint to the PHSO.

There was an article in the Guardian today about the limited capability for work assessment which was full of the familiar lies we are used to from statementing reports. And I have that joy to face too.

Oh and I'm now stuck in a diversity complaint investigation from former employers.

There are two children in my life somewhere.

Back to work.... all nighter for me tonight,

appropriatelyemployed · 04/10/2012 23:57

Complaint is not against me I hasten to add.....

StarlightMcKenzie · 05/10/2012 00:01

Oh, AE, and you offered to help Claw too!

I'm so desperately worried for her boy.

appropriatelyemployed · 05/10/2012 00:03

I know I hadn't appreciate how bad things were. If she can get that EP in asap, she'll be better off - she needs someone on her side.