Duty of LEA to provide info. and advice on SEN.

[nellie]

A local education authority must arrange for the parent of any child in their area with special educational needs to be provided with advice and information about matters relating to those needs.

 

Local education authorities must take whatever steps they consider appropriate to make parent partnership services known to parents, head teachers, schools and others they consider appropriate. Section 332A Education Act 1996

 

Parent Partnership Services: provide advice and information to parents whose children have special educational needs. They provide neutral and factual support on all aspects of the SEN framework to help parents play an active and informed role in their child's education. Although funded by the local education authority they provide a service to parents and are often either run at arms length from the authority or by a voluntary organisation to ensure parents have confidence in them.

[mandyque]

I would certainly recommend Parent Partnership to anyone who is having issues with their childs education. I'm currently launching an offensive to try to get my dd into an out of area school which I feel would provide for her needs much better than our local special needs comprehensive. She will be starting secondary school next September so I am hoping that we can sort it out by then.

 

I got parent partnership involved after some friends recommended it to me and our local rep is working hard on trying to find all the official lines which will help us to secure the placement I want for dd. We are appealing her statement, which currently names the local school, and she is going for a big 6 week assessment at a specialist hospital in Northumberland which I hope will strengthen our case as she has extremely complex and severe difficulties due to her autism.

 

Please wish me luck!

[stressedmumto2]

My experience of PP in our area has not been very good and was certainly not independant, but I would advise to at least always speak to them.

 

Ours get paid by the local authority too!!

 

Great news about yours mandyque <'>

[JsMum]

Hi I would say also in my area I have had a very difficult time with my PP she was very insensitive and was totally on the side of the previous school, also there is only her, for the entire area, I rearly had my calls returned and when I did she wanted to know what the fuss was about so over time I just dont bother her, I use ACE as my main area for support now as well as other helplines for disabled children.

 

I have been told that they may not always have the best interests of the parent, child, school but more the LEA because at the end of the day this is who pays her wages.

 

be careful and always use as many as educational helplines as possible, like ipsea, network 81, ACE, ect.....

 

JsMum

[paulr]

It seems to be the case nationally that PPs are ..... wildly unpredictable. Some are brilliant and fight your corner. Some are totally in hock to the Local Authority.

 

So the answer would be to approach them with an open friendly manner, but don't *trust* them until you are sure you can. When sharing information, assume that the PP person might pass it on to the person you are battling with.

[mandyque]

I believe that ours is on my side totally She's taken me to the school I want for dd to discuss what they can provide and she was there at the statement review I asked for last month. She noticed that the teacher from the local school was completely unprepared with any information or reassurance to me and has written letters on my behalf to support me. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones by the sounds of it. If I don't get any joy by this route I have other support behind me, and I can contact IPSEA and the other people you have all mentioned so fingers crossed we will get a good result, I hope so anyway!