Statements and SLT

[2boysnamedR]

Waiting for my statement which is four days overdue....

I was told today that no child has ever had a qualified ( by this I mean someone with a degree or postgrad in SLT) come into mainstream. If I got that I would be braking a record.

Is this true or more urban myth ( like it take being five years delayed to get a statement)

If so how can my boy stay in mainstream?! He can't. Ffs

Even more reason to ensure my non verbal boy never steps foot into ms primary!

Are you asking about having a qualified teacher with an additional SLT specialism in mainstream, rather than 'just' a speech and language therapist?

Ds has had a ta go in who has been on a "training course" now whether that was a one week course or one day no one would say.

I was told that that, for twelve weeks and training up a ta to continue is all that's on offer. I don't feel it's enough. When she came in the baseline wasn't completed so how can they say if it worked?

I want a qualified Slt to work with him so he can be baselined and assessed

I'm confused as well - are you talking about a baseline assessment by a visiting SaLT ?
or
for regular 1:1 SaLT within school
or
for the school to provide a qualified SaLT all the time
or something different ?

I want a graduate slt to go in once a week. Not a specialist ta. Qualified as in "has a degree" in slt

Been told that's never going to be possibility. If that's true I don't know what more I can do for my son, he's screwed

No child in mainstream in your LA gets direct speech and language therapy? Dunno.

No child in any mainstream school in England? That's just bollocks. Mine did, they got a graduate SALT with the relevant specialism - baselines, assessed, then once a week 1:1 for 30 minutes, on school premises. Upped to 45 mins per week later to do specialist rehabilitation work.

My DSs don't have ASD. What they do have is a severe language disorder. So they got the SALT, because that's what the evidence said they needed.

Christ on a fiery crutch, are these people just fuck-thick or ideologically blinkered?

If we hadn't got into a language unit, we would have had SALT come into Ms school each week.... Several children at my dds school have direct SALT in school.

If your ds has SLCN I would expect his TA to be trained as well as direct weekly SALT.

Our LA did a training course for teachers which was considered pretty 'intensive' at 4 days long. It aimed to give them an understanding of SLCN for their teaching in the classroom. It was not in anyway considered replacement for a trained SALT.

My son has a moderate to severe language disorder. His primary dx is dyspraxia. He was a year ago 3.5 years delayed. He's got worse since then.

What the hell do I do now? LGO told me I have to wait 12 weeks before I go take my case to them unless I get three levels if response before that.

I think he could get by in ms but only with a qualified slt - he's seven! More than half his like behind.

They would see me dead before going speacailst yet never provide qualified slt!

I was also told that ot will only go in once a term if he's in a wheelchair.

Should I write to the school I viewed today and ask them to confirm that? Because it sounds like a statement is gong to deliver less than he gets without one

I want to swear- a lot

I appealed in reception, he's going into year three and he has f all dispite all my bloody fighting

Have you gone back to the tribunal about the statement or lack of it? Have you investigated your LA complaints procedure? You don't always need to start at the bottom with their procedures which can make it quicker. Not that I expect much from a complaint but might lead you to the LGO quicker.

I know SALT is meant to be provided by the LA as it is an educational requirement, but could you access it at all through the NHS?

Alternatively, have you tried banging your head against a brick wall? It is a much quicker way of inflicting pain on yourself and will achieve almost as much benefit for your ds as dealing with your LA.

No I have tried the NHS route. Formal complaint lead me back to being told he would get slt in school ( back in year r, in year two still waiting). I was considering dosing myself with petrol, chaining myself to the LA HQ on a busy a road and setting myself on fire. Ok nothing would change but my pain would be over and the LA would be forced to squirm.

It's always an option

Tribunal told me they can do nothing. They can make orders, but no one can inforce them

F ing joke

You will probably have to appeal the content of the statement 2boys! Sorry if thats not what you want to hear but that is what often happens.

My friend got her Dd a qualified slt once a week in her statement without it actually going to tribunal!

You need to ask for exactly what you want when you get the draft statement!!

I fully expect another tribunal appeal but I want it all within time frame - not when they decide to issue a final.

I hope they give in. Quoting that they can get a qualified slt for £40 a hour in their final submission means I should win that at appeal. ( from where who knows as all Indi charge £60 a hour here

Unfortunately for them they can't say it's cheap enough to do within delegated funding then say it's too expensive for a statement.

Give them enough rope they normally hang themselfs

*I want a graduate slt to go in once a week. Not a specialist ta. Qualified as in "has a degree" in slt

Been told that's never going to be possibility.*

They lied.

Nice of them to give you these bits of evidence for you to record in writing - you know the drill, emails saying 'thank you for your call today explaining that no-one gets a qualified SALT in school, not OT unless they were so physically disabled as to require a wheelchair. That has been a helpful clarifiaction'

And into the bundle it goes.

I'm not sure if you are on the dc who needs the statement enforced, or on a new statement/ehcp that you are trying to get put in a s final so you can appeal it.

Either way it is useful evidence.

PLEASE everyone reading this, stop assuming that a statement that is not getting implemented is a matter for LA complaints procedure or LGO.

PLEASE instead go straight for Judicial Review ideally via legal aid in the name of the child. If none of the firms that do legal aid will proceed without you going through the complaints/LGO then fair enough, but there is an option (or there was an option when this came up for a relative several years ago) for saying that you can skip the complaints phases when it is something urgent for a child, and of course lost time for a child's education cannot be recovered.

There are also pro bono law centres who might put a JR together.

For some LAs, a solicitor's letter into the LA legal department tend to have a laxative effect on them, and the blockage of the SEN department is removed

It's pretty rubbish isn't it?

I was told last week I can't get legal aid for JR in my sons name. Also told by MP that can't do JR or LGO ( who I phoned today and confirmed) that I have to do the 12 weeks three levels of formal complaint.

LGO also said I have to have proof via a acknowledgement that the LA has had my complaint. Sending via email or recorded delivery is not proof.

They don't make it simple

They do not! I sent a complaint into my LA but after three weeks decided to phone the complaints department and found it was never logged!

The only other thing I can think of is a daily charm offensive on the 'phone. Ring them up every day and ask nicely (!) if they have written it yet. If they stop taking your calls, leave messages with people asking them to phone you back. You will have to be nice and keep it short so they don't get you for harassment...

I'm phone ing Wednesday to ensure they have it. I think they (county) have a vague online complaints form so maybe I need to do that as well. Get them from every angle! Slippery little .... 's

Senvet - as far as I can tell (but could be wrong) 2boys does not yet have a statement so she is correct in going to the LGO because of the breech in the LA's statutory duty to issue a statement within the timescales (ie she couldn't do a JR because there is currently no statement to implement).

Therefore the LGO can act on this, but only if all stages of the complaint has first gone through with the LA. It is very slow and laborious. My entire LGO complaint (over the process my LA illegally used when issuing my ds's statement) took over 7 months with, ironically, the LA part taking the least amount of time at about 4 weeks.

2boys somewhere on your LA's website it should give you precise details on their website in how to complain and what their timescales should be. They should also be writing you letters back acknowledging your complaint and giving you a reference number. Even my crap LA managed to do all of this. With each letter/email you write, you must make it clear that this is "formal complaint" (mine was bold, underlined and in caps so no one could miss it!). I addressed mine to the chief executive of the LA and it then got filtered through to the complaints department.

In answer to the question about having a properly qualified SALT, yes you can have qualifications specified in the Statement but it is likely you'll only get it on a judge's say-so during appeal and with very strong evidence that this is what your dc needs. My DS has teacher's qualifications listed in his statement - this was the deal breaker between him being dumped in mainstream or correctly supported at indie. The judge ordered that the qualifications I specified had to be met by the LA, hence their ms school was not appropriate provision because they couldn't buy in and integrate with the school day the amount of quantified help he needed

in my LA they have now reduced the complaints stage down to 2 stages which is what the LGO advise although I accept not many LA are doing this - it means in effect that I can get in and out of my LA complaints process in 20 days and straight to the LGO.

Re JR I certainly managed to get legal aid in my sons name albeit didn't need it in the end - you do have to pay for the initial letter but that does usually wake the LA up and then they do behave - very few actually make it to a full JR

I will phone the LA building today to make sure I did use the correct complaints procedure. They have no clear guidelines on the website and when I phoned I'm pretty sure I got the wrong department details!

I don't know why they said at tribunal they could buy it in if they never do

The LA are lying fuckwits!

my dd is dyslexic and dyspraxic and she recieved slt and OT in school before she was statemented. I it was block therapy and 6 sessions every few terms but it was delivered on a 1:1 basis by qualified slt and OT.

Now she is statemented she has an hour a week slt with a fully qualified slt (indie) with post grad experience. Same with OT although they have had to employ 3 indie OTs to meet the qualifications and experience detailed within the statement! dd is not in a wheel chair and is independently mobile.

ffs I am angry on your behalf! maybe we should all send you our dcs statements so you can show them to your LA!

Hee hee! That would be a idea. If we could redate them.

That given me a good idea. I could do a foi to see if anyone gets qualified slt in mainstream in county

I'm exhausted

Which county are you in?

My son, year 2, has been seen weekly by SLT since January also he has daily sessions with a TA. Before he got his statement he was seen between once and three times per half term by a SLT.