What's Snap? Is it the same as parent partnership?

[AngryWasp]

tia

No, SNAP is not the same as Parent Partnership (thank God!!!!). PP tend to tow the party line with regards to the LEA they work with.

SNAP is an Essex based charity called Special Needs and Parents, their website is detailed below. It gives a lot of information.

www.snapcharity.org

Is it for people in Herts?

In Herts SNAP stands for special needs activity and play (I think) - it is a sn holiday play club for school age children. Some areas run a (occasional) saturday club for over 8s. www.snapherts.org.uk

Aw, - I'm trying to find an alternative to Parent Partnership. The woman for my area doesn't appear to be very independent.

SNAP is Special Needs Advisory project.
I am under assumption that they are like Parent Partnership.
Neither is truly independent as they are funded by the council itself but it is worthwhile contacting them and registering your concerns, even if only to show you have followed the correct protocol.
They can be damned good though. Depends on the area and staff.

Oh, I don't think they have them in Herts.

We don't have ANYTHING. No Earlybird, no portage, no homestart, no SNAP, no nuffing!

From my understanding Herts is one of the counties that IPSEA get the most complaints about with regards to education and SEN.

Even though you're in Herts (and that is not all that far away from Essex on the M25) I don't think SNAP would mind you making contact for general advice.

Have you tried using someone like IPSEA or SOS;SEN as they are independent (unlike PP).

That does NOT surprise me at all. But thank you for telling me. It helps. I need to raise my expectations to what can and is provided nationally, rather than what Herts is used to providing then.

Both those other organisations have been on holiday throughout August, but I'll try again.

Parent Partnership in Herts are cr@p! They don't work during the school holidays, so you can't contact them. When I did finally manage to speak to someone, I discussed my worries that DD would not be assessed, they came out with "No doesn't mean never, you know, it just means not now!.

Turns out that the LEA DID decided to assess, (must have been my 20 pages of Parental Views)

but Parent Partnership were less than helpful...

I had the exact same thing over these holidays. Can't contactPP, can't contact Education, and yet they wanted information from me for their panel to decide whether to assess. Also submitted 20 pages - are you me? Was it THESE holidays gone?

IPSEA just confirmed to me on the phone that they get more calls from Herts than any other council. In fact when she asked me which council it was I asked to to guess which was the worst. She guessed correctly

Also, I asked could a pp rep attend my ds' panel to ensure fair practice and they said no coz they need to be independent.

How does that work?

IPSEA were brilliant though, - have to say!

Hi Angrywasp, must be great minds thinking alike, I just wanted to make sure that they understood, and it took around 20 pages....

I really think the assessment system is appalling. There is no transparency or accountability at all, it is all carried out by faceless bureaucrats hiding away behind confidentiality!

Okay, - so the PP told me that there were more complaints because it was an affluent county and lots of children with sn wouldn't really be called sn in other counties.

So what do they base that argument on? Not every one in Herts is affluent. That Confirms my low opinion of the PP in Herts!

Oh I don't know. I live in the county ghetto anyhow and I'm certainly not affluent.

I was a bit shocked at the implication that parents make a fuss when their children don't have very much need - although tbh less shocks me now!