Draft SEN legislation - worrying!

[AgnesDiPesto]

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.

Just marking spot to take time to read tomorrow.

ACE closed today btw.

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

I think unfortunately they probably took it straight from something sent to them by Melinda Nettleton. Apparently she's been circulating it round a few charities, which would explain why it says the same as she said on the radio last week.

Tut, they really are all in each others pockets.

A charity recommended her to me. I wanted to speak with her before deciding whether I wanted her. Her secretary refused to put me through - ever. I eft messages for her to call but Sec called instead and demanded all my paperwork and a fee BEFORE I'D EVEN SPOKEN TO HER and I needed advice on what paperwork to send anyway. .

When I refused until I'd spoken, I got a message back from her saying she was very sad but unfortunately couldn't take on my case.

AE:

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.

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At the time I posted my comment on the response to Delalakis (which didn't relate solely to you) it was a current discussion. Having been around here a long time, I'm not aware of any rule that people have to introduce themselves in every discussion group they want to contribute to, and your demand that she do so, and implication that she was some sort of interloper, came over as quite aggressive. Also not sure why you seemed to object so much to what she said, as you did ultimately acknowledge that most of it was correct and valid.

Nor did she suggest that you were "somehow 'appropriately employed' ". She asked the same question you asked about what brought her here, and then asked "what is your appropriate employment with regard to education?". Which is not an unreasonable question for a newbie on a thread about education when you have been writing about the law in relation to education. Nor is it a suggestion, and it certainly isn't offensive.

Sorry, I know you have other problems and I'm genuinely sorry and concerned about them. The whole capability for work assessment stuff stinks, and I could rant for England about it. As I say, my comment didn't relate solely to your response, but there was a bit of a joint attack on someone new just because she was new, and I thought that was unfortunate.

Starlight, to be fair I doubt that SOS SEN are in Melinda Nettleton's pocket. I think she's just sent that stuff around to other charities and forums (I came across it on a dyslexia forum) and SOS probably assumed if it came from a lawyer it must be right.

It wasn't SOSSEN that recommended her.

Veritate- your posts on this thread are very insightful. Please not let's get side tracked. I disagree completely with what you say. You have the right to say it but I gave the right to my views too.

Your opinion isn't definitive. My response was entirely measured and reasonable and my personal situation has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Can we move on!

Sorry to hear about ACE. I genuinely rated their service.

I find IPSEA very wet and the advice from their advice line is a little patchy and sometimes plain wrong. SOS-SEN are much more ballsy so it is a shame if they failed to check what went out in their name. Nettleton is a DOD-SEN trustee according to her website.

Out of genuine interest rather than hostility, veritate, what is your background? You seem to have a lot of valuable knowledge.

about ACE. Have always found SOSSEN pretty good, haven't had advice from ipsea, as assumed they are a bit too wet. Useful website though.

Hope things improve for you soon AE and that you can help Claw.

I think the thing with IPSEA, is that they are good at the high incidence, low-level advice. I.e. how to apply for a SA, what independent reports to get, how to S&Q.

Ask them a low incidence high level question such as how to deal with BakerSmall's latest intimidation strategy, they act all surprised as if just because what he is doing isn't allowed means you don't need to worry about it.

I think that might be what HereBenson means by IPSEA representing the ordinary parent. The ones that have yet to hear about the SENCOP.

There is a parliamentary briefing paper on the draft bill www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06420 which may be useful to read

Very sorry to read about the closure of ACE I think it was ACE that published an excellent guide, "Getting the Statement Right" which I have used myself, it was very good.

It makes the ConDem Government's "Big Society" agenda look rather sick when groups like this close down....still I bet that there are very few LAs that will be sorry to see it go!

It is not right to 'suppose' anything. Everything should be clearly detailed or it will lead to the LA's abusing the positon.

If parents do not have the right to request a SA they cannot have the right to Appeal against the LA not doing a SA - think about it !!!!!!!

I understand the intention is to put the right to request statutory assessment in regulations, in the same way as most of the current time limits are in the regulations and not the Education Act 1996. I agree that it isn't satisfactory because it is much easier to change regulations than to change a statute. However I have heard on the gravevine that following dicussions with IPSEA and others they're already rethinking this.

For what it's worth, the draft requires the LA to consider statutory assessment if it comes to their attention that a child may have SEN. Therefore there is nothing to stop the school or parent being the people to bring it to their attention, though we still need a time limit for them to consider it.

Hi All,

I usually read but don't post often so I apologise if I get things wrong. This thread seems very knowledgable. I am a mum of a lad with complex needs.

I wanted to flag up IPSEA have published a VERY comprehensive view of the proposals this morning. Can now see why it has taken them time. Prefered that they waited to get it right! I will send it to my MP later - she might even read it and learn.

Really worth a read - especially the key messages document which I suspect is the one most of us have the time for. Really concerning stuff. Go to their website and press the orange button near the pictures of the children - SEN changes of something like that.

Have always found them very reliable with their advice for my boy who origianlly did not have a statement - but because of them now does! Agree difficult to get through but never wet. Have always come off the phone fired up. Try in the evenings.

Also been on their parent training yesterday in London. Excellent stuff.

Have not tried SOS-SEN so cannot comment.

Now that the consultation deadline is past, I think we all need to be lobbying MPs to keep this high up their agenda.

Thinking about it further, I'm wondering whether we really need this bill at all? What the Green Paper suggested was a unified education, health and social care plan, but what this bill offers is just a revamped version of provision for education. I can't actually see what the point is of calling the new statements EHC plans when the health and care elements are going to be unenforceable and you can't appeal against them to the tribunal. So really, why don't they just do a short bill making any necessary amendments to the current legislation? That way there would be slightly less risk of them throwing out important provisions and the DfE could save themselves a fortune in terms of reinventing the wheel.

I agree, particularly those who live in the constituencies of the Education Select Committee members. I have emailed my MP this week and received a response, I intend to continue the dialogue.

Also agreed, and I think Delalakis has a point about whether this bill is necessary at all. Kill the Bill!

I have seen IPSEA?s view. SOS!SEN, and HACS are all taking the same view as Melinda Nettleton, that is, these changes are very bad for parents. I also saw on the HACS website that Melinda is speaking at a meeting given by HACS at Harlington Community School on Monday evening (22 October) about these issues. I think I might go along. I hear on the grapevine that it is suggested that whilst the changes might be bad for parents, it will mean lots of work for lawyers, because parents will no longer be able to use the Tribunal so easily