The relationship between NHS professionals and the LEA?

[KickassLAfighter]

Can someone advise me? I have just experienced, what I can only call collusion, between the LEA and my DS's OT and his SALT!

The OT re-assessed DS, very clearly only because because we have a SENDIST Tribunal very soon and sent the report to the LEA and never sent a copy to me! I only found out cos it was in The Bundle!!

I have been trying to get her to see DS for months, no joy, then lo and behold, deadline for LEA evidence looms and DS is completely over run by NHS professional visits!

The NHS SALT has produced what I would call, in polite terms, "misleading" evidence about DS, (well actually, they are down-right lies)

SALT has basically said that it is a waste of time DS having SALT, because of his ASD, he will never improve his communication skills. This is in direct contradiction to our independent SALT report.

I am feeling hurt and betrayed that people who are meant (and paid to) be helping him, are clearly in the pocket of the LEA.

How do I complain about these so-called "professionals"? And their unhealthy relationship with the LEA?

What can I do about future OT and SALT?

I believe that I have every right to ask for these people to be removed from DS case.

Thanks TG! You are right, I need to focus on the Tribunal first, then complain about the unprofessional attitude of the SALT and OT.

Yes, I have missed the deadline for written submissions, but I am going to argue against the points they made on the day.

I now realise that I went into all this very idealistic and terribly naive!

In terms of my complaint, would an FOI request asking for the "policy" of the NHS when writing reports for statutory assessment be helfpul? Or would it, as I now suspect, simply get the shredders going!

I think it's unprofessional of the OT not to have copied you into the report, but I don't know if it breaches anything official (I've had similar things happen to me).

Did the report only come in the final bundle from SEND (10 days before hearing) or with the LA's Response (after 32 days of the appeal being registered)?
You should not have seen any new evidence for the first time in the SEND bundle.
Any evidence should have been submitted either within the LA's official Response to your appeal (after 32 days), or as additional evidence after their Response but before the final deadline for evidence. But if it was sent as additional evidence, the LA must send it to both SEND and copy it to you.
If the LA did not copy you in, you should have grounds for complaint.

I agree though that your main concern at the moment is dealing with the differences in the reports at tribunal. Will your private SALT be at the hearing? Would they be willing/able to comment on the NHS report?

We had similar experience and long before tribunal. Basically we started ABA and SALT went wow its made a huge difference - and then was hit by the LEA train threatening her - 'parents are saying its lack of SALT that means they need ABA you better get me good evidence of your intervention and that you have done your job properly or it will be your fault we have to pay out for ABA and all the other children in the County will suffer because of this greedy family and by the way the mum is a big fat liar when she says her son has not had any intervention for months because our ASD team have gone weekly (when of course they had done no such thing)'' etc cue massive backflip when SALT started saying 'i don't agree with this ABA' turned up and called us cold cruel parents and criticised everything we did.

The fact is that the tribunal will be hard pushed to reach a conclusion a child should not have education on the basis they are a lost cause - if you stand back this is a pretty outrageous argument and a throw back to the lets not bother to help them because children with ASD are ineducable. I would just point out that there is ample evidence and government support that all children have potential and deserve to be helped and that you are sure the tribunal are already well versed in the benefits of early intervention.

We go to tribunal in Sept and frankly there is not one NHS / LA professional left who has not sold us down the river to cover their own arse.