CDC gives out grants on behalf of the government as part of CFB pilot

[inappropriatelyemployed]

I really do despair at the collusion which seems to dominate the SEN system.

Last week, I posted CDC's guff about marmite or jam on toast as an analogy to the choice we don't have in terms of SEN provision.

Today, they are opening their second round of applications for funding for projects under the SEN reforms. I wonder how much they get paid by the Gov for this?

Meanwhile, we submitted a paper to the House of Commons on the reforms and our concerns that the corruption in the system will still remain. We couldn't even get a response until we started tweeting openly about the lack of one.

The response we have now received is outrageous and offensive. I hope to post it tomorrow.

Contract is worth £750,000 a year to CDC - see here

So it's representing parents while being paid millions to advise the Government!

It is amazing to see how many groups a involved in 'delivery' see here

Including IPSEA

There is money in them there reforms

There are no obviously 'Autism' ones.

That is interesting isn't it? I do think parents of children with autism (and associated conditions) can have a significantly different experience as it might be easier to argue 'he looks alright to me'!

You can say exactly the same for severe dyslexia. It is a totally 'hidden' disability because 'he looks alright to me'.

That is, until you get children like mine who end up with mental health problems because of trying to cope. At that point, it becomes visible because of the meltdowns and the development of oppositional defiant disorder.

Provision for state primary school severe dyslexia is almost non-existent.

I agree Towie - I think it applies to all those 'invisible' conditions like dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD

I agree Towie - I think it applies to all those 'invisible' conditions like dyslexia, dyspraxia, ASD

So they have chosen the groups that are less likely to have come across the majority of unlawful practice!?

Ambitious about Autism
SOSSEN
Contact a Family.

Why are they not there? Were they ever asked to be? What was the criteria for selection? Perhaps they didn't feel that they were able to sell their souls!?

Ipsea isn't completely ignorant, but they do spread themselves very thin and tend to stick to the more 'standard' of cases and have a level of belief in the system from my experience. I know that I tried to use them a couple of times and their knowledge of the law was sound, but their knowledge of the breaking of the law and how to guard against it was more patchy and also I felt, dangerous to my case if I used them.

Contact a family is involved as a 'delivery partner' see here

Ambitious about autism is involved in SENDirect a brokerage service for personal budgets

SEN Direct
here

To be honest I have some reservations about the whole brokerage thing - what happens if you want to use a service not known to the broker? Do you have to use a broker?

I know some parents will need help if they get personal budget / DPs etc but surely the starting point should be that the vast majority of parents are competent to search out good provision and make those decisions on their own?

I do know NAS got funds for family rights service from D of E and the targets seemed to be solely about bums on seats. It seemed to be about how many sessions had been delivered to how many parents and I hear on the grapevine the admin was poor, volunteers were trained to deliver sessions but then never asked to do any, and existing NAS members etc from branches who would have no need of a basic rights advice session were encouraged to go to boost numbers. So yes I think its Emperors New Clothes. More focussed on D of E looking like they were doing something but no interest in whether it actually happened / made a difference.

Contact a Family was also bizarre choice for education advice when more established charities like IPSEA overlooked for contract.

Yes, I've just seen AAA.

I don't know this, but I suspect they would be looking to focus more on the post16 stuff as I know this is an area they are currently expanding into. I think that DPs will be more easily awarded for this group too.

TBH I am quite pleased to see AAA involved in the brokerage. I agree it's a bit patronising, but the existence of it does stop LAs from arguing that they can't release money from their own coffers because it puts parents at risk of being targeted by cowboys (though even though I have met a fair few cowboys I have yet to meet one who is quite as ineffective as the LA).

God, is there one charity that isn't get bankrolled on this? I don't trust any of them.

I have seen it happen in human rights projects - outsiders suddenly feel the warm glow of Gov attention, cups of tea in the Commons, cold hard cash in their hands for pet projects.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

How do parents, normal parents, get heard through the tons of well-funded 'consortiums' expressing views for us?

Is it really in these charities interests make a stand against these reforms? No. This is why they have all gone quiet.

Think about it. Where have all the charity representations on the Bill gone and where is the lobbying? Give them all a bit of cash for leaflettign projects or managing little pilots and they've all gone quiet.

All that money. If I had it I would do the following:

i) train the LGO bods in the law
ii) train TAs in evidence-based practice

And that would be all that would need to be done.

Maybe tweet at Ben Goldacre about evidenced based practice???

Has he ever responded to anything?

He did once to me by email.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1077668/adcs-conference-minister-extra-cash-sen-support?utm_content=&utm_campaign=050713_Daily&utm_source=Children%20&%20Young%20People%20Now&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1077668/adcs-conference-minister-extra-cash-sen-supportffs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1077668/adcs-conference-minister-extra-cash-sen-support?utm_content=&utm_campaign=050713_Daily&utm_source=Children%20&%20Young%20People%20Now&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1077668/adcs-conference-minister-extra-cash-sen-supportffs

Though it is heartening to see Richmond mentioned in the capacity it has. It's flipping rolling in money but has always been much better at listening to parents and the general levels of support given without fighting is much higher. They are also increasing choices of ASD provisions for families.

But possibly not sustainable if the whole world lives there, though perhaps they can do it because the whole world cannot afford to live there.

What about this

It all seems to be about these groups working with LAs as if they speak for parents. No parental involvement anywhere

"a sustainable marketplace of provision." Not sure I like that. Where is all this going? A legal aid franchise model with only selected providers available and parents having to go through 'brokerages'.

Bidding for the lowest level of provision??

What is the end game?