Statutory Assessment

[lisa]

We had excellent news yesterday. Our LEA have finally agreed to statutory assessment !!!!!

 

I'm absolutely in shock!! I can't believe they've finally agreed. I was sure beyond a doubt that they'd turn us down and we'd have to go to tribunal again, especially as I've caused them so much hassle over the last few years.

 

For those of you who don't know our story, this has been a long time coming. We first applied in September 2004, was turned down, went to tribunal in March 2005 and lost our appeal. We've spent the past year gathering evidence, banging on doors to try to get our case across and battling with the school.

 

I know this is only the first stage and there's still a long way to go but I feel at least we have our foot on the first rung of the ladder!

 

Lisa

 

p.s. The cynic in me still thinks it's a trick and they're all sitting in their office having a good laugh at getting my hopes up. They'll make me wait 16 weeks (instead of 10 because the summer holidays fall in the 10 wk period) and then turn her down! They've behaved so badly up until now I wouldn't put it past them.

[helenl53]

Lisa

 

I am keeping everything crossed! Given what you have gone through, it would be nice for common sense and good practice to prevail instead of the usual ###### mindedness that we come up against.

 

Looks like we will be going for a re-assessment and so will probably end up in Tribunal again - but hey - it has to be done!.

 

Helen

[Zemanski]

hope it all goes well from here on in

 

 

Z

[CarerQuie]

Hope it goes smoothly.xx

[Kathryn]

Lisa, that's great news!!

 

I think a certain amount of cynicism is necessary when dealing with LEA's but at least you've got this far.

 

As you say, there's a long way to go yet but give yourself a bit of a break, you've earned it!

 

Keep us posted on progress,

 

K x

[Flora]

Lisa, keeping everything crossed for you and

 

Lauren

[PinkSapphireAngel]

We are just coming to the end of our statutory assessment (we had to take them to tribunal to get it)

ds is 11 and at the moment has no secondary school place for September,

we will get the decision whether they will finally statement him by July 11th according to PP as the LEA are totally ignoring me and have not sent me ANY info on deadlines or even asked for my evidence (I sent it all to them yesterday anyway)

 

I really hope it all works out for you and I don't trust my LEA at all either and am expecting to have to take it all back to tribunal at some point.

[JsMum]

That is brillaint news!

 

I know how good it feels to have achieved the first hurdle,

especially when we have had so much dissapointment in the beginning with knock backs,

 

I have just gone throw the process and after the assessment he has a statement,

 

even after the Head teacher and senco said that there was other children worse than my son,

 

well I still went ahead and we have been granted 15 hours a week lsa so everycase is worth a consideration and a panel to decide,

 

J is now actually one of the worse now as the process put him further and further behind,

i feel in effect the education system did this to him, because he was left to get on with it.

 

I had to do a lot of research and reading books on the code of practice, the DDA part 4 and I used the websites ipsea and ace and the disabilty rights commission and as well as other members from websites for special needs childrens parents.

 

The first proposal wasnt specified and it missed off diagnosed conditions, so dont sign anything until you are certain it is stating clearly all the relevant issues and needs.

 

my advice is to get as many letters and assessments together and copy them and file them and keep all corispondances in that file, evidence is key to getting your childs needs met so dont let them keep delaying the process because of lack of evidence,

 

I had to do a bit of running around for this but I used all the key people that had assessed and diagnosed my son and in the end we got there.

 

Its a fight but a battle that is worth it,

 

remember your daughter is your priority and so make them count her as a need to be with in the statementing process.

 

I wish you all the best,

 

oh yes if they do turn you down, for a statement then appeal and go to tribunal.

 

JsMum

[lisa]

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

 

Js mum, we'd already been to tribunal last year and lost. The decision was so perverse it was ridiculous, we had so much evidence, the LEA couldn't believe their luck! I have a file of correspondence and reports over 6 inches thick. I've spent the last 18 months preparing the groundwork, getting everyone on side and preparing for our case to go to tribunal even before we knew their answer!! My main job now is going to be photocopying everything, I've already written my parental advice (spent about 3 months on it so far!), in fact I'd finished it before I'd even requested assessment. I'm going to send letters to everyone involved telling them that they'll be getting letters from the LEA requesting information for statutory assessment and basically making sure our case is fresh in their minds! I may even include a copy of my parental advice just to make sure they know fully the problems she faces on a daily basis!!

 

I was told with my eldest son, also Aspergers, by the school that he wouldn't get a statement. Through my persistence and hard work he did so I've already done it once. Unfortunately it's taken a lot longer with my daughter but we're chipping away. Eventually I'm hoping they get so fed up of me they'll give in and give her a statement just to get rid of me!!

 

Lisa

[Tez]

Good Luck Lisa. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly.

[Helen_1980]

Good luck and well done! If they have agreed to a statutory assessment you are 90% of the way there in theory at least as the criteria for assessing a child is almost the same as that used to decide whether to write a statement. So if they do decide not to write a statement then you will have a much stronger case at tribunal, I would have thought.

[lisa]

I hope so Helen!! Fingers crossed.

 

Lisa

[lisa]

The cynic in me still thinks it's a trick and they're all sitting in their office having a good laugh at getting my hopes up. They'll make me wait 16 weeks (instead of 10 because the summer holidays fall in the 10 wk period) and then turn her down! They've behaved so badly up until now I wouldn't put it past them.

 

Well they didn't try this trick. I got a letter saying I would know the outcome of the assessment within 12 weeks and I had until 25th July to put in any other evidence. That means that if we're successful, L could have support in place by the end of September (although I'm trying very hard not to get my hopes up)!!!

 

Lisa

[PinkSapphireAngel]

I got a letter saying I would know the outcome of the assessment within 12 weeks and I had until 25th July to put in any other evidence. Lisa

 

 

One better than me then, I STILL have had NOTHING from LEA telling me about any dealines or asking for my evidence at all!!

 

I sent it off recorded post last week and asked them to confirm it was within the dealines and they are STILL ignoring me, its clearly a strop because I dared to take them to tribunal AND WIN!!

[Karen A]

lisa good news but don't get too hopeful re having anything in place for end of Sep.The last submissions for Ben were sent in a couple of weeks ago.Now with- EP who will do draft to go to panel to agree draft and decide funding - to return to us to decide if we agree to issue statement........SALT IS TALKING ABOUT AN 8 WEEK MEATING 8 weeks after statement to plan who will do what -so we may get action by christmas.But perhaps you will get things done quicker. I had a chat with HT on Fri explained it is difficult to plan when we will find out on Mon of last week of term re statement and teacher for year 4-giving us 4 days to liaise with teacher and orientate Ben.

[lisa]

When my son was assessed a couple of years ago, it was all pretty straight forward and now I've heard from others experience, relatively quickly. We applied in October and his LSA started at the beginning of May so it took about 7 months.

 

My understanding is that the LEA have 6 weeks to make a decision whether to assess or not, then 10 weeks to carry out the assessment, 8 weeks to write the statement then if everyone is in agreement about the content, another 2 weeks to finalise it, about 26 weeks total. That would bring it to mid November around Autumn half term, not September.

 

I don't know why I'm even thinking down this route yet, I know they won't give her a statement so we'll have to go to tribunal. They'll turn her down mid September, if we're lucky we'd get a tribunal date for sometime in December and if we win, presumably the LEA would have a further 10 weeks to write and then issue the statement? That would take us to the end of February and almost another school year wasted without support. And that's IF we WIN!!

 

PSA, when did you win your tribunal? It seems like ages ago now.

 

Lisa

[Karen A]

I know how you feel I get just as frustrated.I spend so much time waiting for the next deadline,appointment or letter.You have plenty of company if that is any consolation. Karen A

[PinkSapphireAngel]

Our tribunal was March 23rd and we got the letter saying we had won on March 31st!!