Tribunal against part 3 of statement is next week - aaaaargh!!!!

[ness69]

Council didn't contact me at all. I finally got them to send me a copy of the working document 2 weeks ago. They had made some acceptable changes. I sent it back with a few small requested changes (i.e. I inserted 'at least once a week' in a couple of places as no quantification at all). Heard nothing for a week so called them Friday. I was informed the lady dealing with it is now in hospital for a while. Someone would mail me the new version on Monday and call me Tuesday to discuss. Nothing. So I called yesterday. I was told that "most of it has been agreed" and they will mail me the latest version by 9.30 a.m. - so far nothing.

When I asked what hadn't been agreed, they said they asked the school to comment on my suggested changes and they have raised objections with things which have always been in the statement and are in the reports which they had previously accepted. Can they do this?

I am feeling unwell and am getting in a right state over this!!

I wouldn't have thought they can take things out that were in the original statement and tht you're happy with. Otherwise they would in effect be appealing against their own statement, which they can't do. Also if the school wants things out because they find them difficult to supply, that is putting the cart before the horse - they have to have support according to what the child needs rather than according to what it is convenient or cheap to provide.

Thank you for your reply. I finally received the working document. Yes, it was things that they were finding hard to provide that was recommended by the OT. I have allowed a couple of the things to go because that section opens by saying they have to do everything in the attached OT report and provide all of the recommended equipment so effectively those things are still there. But stuck to my guns over the others.

They were also questioning something that the EP had recommended in her report for the SA back in November which they were ok with when I met with them at Easter.

It is as though they saw it as an opportunity for an unofficial statement review.

Don't agree to anything you are not happy with in the working document. The tribunal will want to know if there is any further leeway most likely on the morning of the hearing before they start and may ask you to spend a bit of time meeting before the formal start, so take plenty of copies so you can scribble on them and hand over updated versions to the panel. Anything you are not happy about then let the panel decide as that is the point of the tribunal. It is a long and emotional day and it took me a couple of days to wind down to be honest, but the process was also not as daunting in terms of formality etc than I had imagined and our panel were very pleasant to us (so I worried afterwards they were too nice and had a hidden agenda, but actually I was wrong and we got everything we asked for).

We are also having problems with are lea doing statements wrong on both are children not putting new assessments in a letter telling us are rights missing , they not updated nothing ready for high school I'm now going to a tribural again ... :(

Finally managed to reach agreement on all points and have now called off the tribunal. Phew! It turned out that they were desperate not to have to attend so backed down. I can't believe they let it drag on this long! I'm really quite angry about that and considering making a formal complaint. The amount of stress I was under, especially last week, has been unbearable and was totally avoidable.

That is good news!!

Job done as far as they are concerned. How much do they save themselves by dragging things out?

Finally managed to reach agreement on all points and have now called off the tribunal.

WOW! Well done excellent news.