Parent Partnership Service

[Hectorshouse]

Was interested in anyones opinion on this sometimes independent service that is meant to be available to parents. I have personally had 2 very different experiences with PPS the first was great and she really did go the extra mile for me, and the second has been terrible, unconfidential, patronising and about as much use as a chocolate teacosy!

 

HHxx

Edited November 26, 2005 by Hectorshouse

[nikrix]

I have been lucky, PP in my area has been really good. There is a support group on a thursday mornings and also they put meetings on for related topics concerning children with special needs. I am going to one next week on Bahaviour Management at home by Education Psychologist.

Nikrix

[Zemanski]

I haven't voted as my experience has been mixed

 

not so much because of the 2 IPSs who have supported me, both were just what I needed and the first was brilliant taking me through 2 tribunals and the ombudsman but more because of the setup in general.

 

being an IPS I am very wary of our PP because of the lack of independence and also the poor levels of training we recieve. most of the IPSs I know here are good people but I'm not sure they are all well enough trained to give adequate support. I know I would not be if I did not have my education background and know the system from both sides. There are very few experienced IPSs in our area and my old brilliant supporter has just retired. I'm considered fairly experienced because I've done two tribunals of my own but I've never yet supported someone through tribunal as an IPS, all my cases have been resolved without getting that far up to now so I really don't feel very experienced.

 

So I have to say that although the support I have had personally has been good I do not feel confident that our PP can always produce the goods for people.

 

Zemanski

[helenl53]

My PPS is rather indiscrete - those who have used the service now warn parents not to touch it with a barge pole.

 

Had some very disturbing inside info that she talks about parents very disparagingly when discussing parents to officers and ed psychos.

 

Also have evidence that PPS were aware of a decision about my son - before the decision had been made by a panel!!!! You tell me that doesn't have a bit of a niff to it!!!!

 

She is probably reading this - and if you are - how do you sleep at night!!!!

 

HelenL

[call me jaded]

ed psychos

 

[lisann]

Our PP cleared a few things up about IEP"S but when we need them regarding an issue at school didn't seam bothered and sided with the school.So mix feelings about them.

 

Lisa x

[call me jaded]

Non existant for me BTW

Edited November 26, 2005 by call me jaded

[hev]

yeah mine were useless,i spoke to them on phone,not helpful at all,never phoned back when they said they would,i didnt bother with them in end,my mp was far more helpful

[helenl53]

I can understand that they do not want to bite the hand that feeds them - but they need to be totally upfront and honest with the parents and tell them WHAT THEY CAN'T DO - this is the crunch.

 

They don't phone back when it is going to compromise their position - our PP person used to feign surprise when parents said they had left messages for her. I think that if the problem is such that they are going to show their hand - they prefer to ignore the parent and pretend they didn't get the message!!!!! Wouldn't mind but this is coming out of the Education Budget for all of us and certainly our PPS has �50k in the kitty for the year and this funds one part time PP Manager and sod all independent parental advisers. I would say it is a bit of a financial black hole

 

HelenL

[LKS]

Mine have been really good. At one time I couldn't even speak to the head at school anymore and we were involved in a game of postal tennis. The lady from PP came in with me and really helped me put my point across, also obviously the heads attitude to me changed because someone was with me who knew what they were talking about. They also came with me on one annual review and can honestly say that she was the only person in the whole room on my side

[lancelot]

Mixed. I phoned in a panic (obviously a bit too well concealed) when we started going into the statementing process and got a bloke who said 'What did you call for? You're not the sort of person we're really here for, you can put your own case.' He actually left the impression that they were a sort of translation service for non-native speakers or anyone struggling to read the forms. He didn't offer any help or advice at all apart from 'Just follow the procedure and do what the school suggests.' Gee thanks.

 

I say 'mixed' because someone else on the team actually called me back a few days later to say 'My notes say you spoke to XXX earlier. Oh dear, sorry about him!' and spent ages on the phone talking it through.

[annie]

My LEA is the same as LKS's. We are very lucky that our PP are very good.

[helenl53]

Hi Annie & LKS

 

What would be interesting to know is whether the PPS is bought in and run at arms length These ones seem to work a lot better than the PPS that is run by an LEA employed person

 

Over the border from me is a PPS that is run by someone from her home, and I have seen someone posting positively about her. I know her myself and she is great.

 

I think that they are there in the main to write notes, give you leaflets but they are not pro-active and will not willingly point you in the right direction - this then satisfies the 'impartiality' but lets parents down because they are not aware that 'impartiality' means I can not get sleeves rolled up and get stuck in

 

Love

 

HelenL

[smiley]

The one and only time i met the PP lady i wasn't at all impressed.

 

I'd called her because i had a big meeting at school and felt that i needed some support. To be fair, she contacted me within a day of me e-mailing, as was able to come to my meeting at short notice.

 

At the meeting however..... she wasn't very helpful - even when i began to feel out of my depth and looked to her to help me, she just smiled at me. She didn't say anything until i brought up statementing - then she disagreed with everything i said and sided firmly with the school.

 

I didn't feel at all supported. I felt as though she was there in the best interests of the LEA and not my son.

[Tez]

I have mixed views on this. Our PP is run at arms length and I think that they genuinely do want to help, but I think that their knowledge is scanty and I think their training leads them to follow the LEA line and only if the LEA is actually failing to comply with the law do they advise you to challenge the school/LEA stance.

 

Despite being run at arms length I would still query the close relationship between the LEA and PP. As helenl53 says about her PP, my PP seems to know too much confidential information about me and my son and the info is obviously coming from the LEA. I was told today by my PP supporter that at a meeting that she attended with senior LEA officials and school management serious questions were asked by the LEA about why my son had slipped through the system and it had taken so long for his SEN to be acknowledged, despite it being apparent to all that he had difficulties since Infant School. Whilst I am pleased to hear that they do acknowledge their negligence and are hopefully putting procedures in place to stop it happening to some other child, I would question why PP were present at such a meeting if they are independent.

Edited November 28, 2005 by Tez

[Kathryn]

Ours sent me the occasional form and information when asked, but gave minimal support otherwise. I soon stopped calling her as I used to feel depressed afterwards. She just parroted LEA policy at me all the time and I felt she was more on their side than mine. She referred to the LEA staff I was dealing with by their first names and I knew she worked in the same building so I wasn't sure about her impartiality.

 

Apart from being a useful barometer of the LEA's attitude, I don't feel she was any help at all.

[Malika]

Hi.

 

As far as I am concerned they have been useless I think sometimes they are just there to pass more informations to the LEA and cannot be trusted, I hope some of them will read this.

The only one time I try to contact PP they took my references and where my son was going to school and call me back saying "Your school said that your son is not a problem you should follow what your school says"

 

That was the end of it, the IPSEA has been more helpfull, as well as contact a family but they are hands tight with the council because of funding issue.

 

Malika.