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Another Order has come through for a family for whom I wrote their tribunal appeal and represented at tribunal. The local authority had already conceded/ backed down on school placement (specialist) and the bulk of the working document requests. A barrister then represented the local authority for the remaining issues in dispute; the Order clarifies that we won the issues which the local authority disputed. This really is brilliant news for the child and their family. However, as I have always said, why on earth did the family have to go to this length in the first place? The fact that we won demonstrates that legally we were right all along. Yet the local authority chose to spend money on a barrister to defend points which had no substance in law. This is tax payers money, money which I believe could, and should, have instead been spent on the child in the first place. Instead, the money was wasted. This simply should not be allowed to happen. Why it is allowed to happen, I will never understand. In my opinion the government needs to take a close look at what is going on in the education and SEN system and stop unlawful actions, actions which ultimately delay children getting what they are entitled to. What also amazes and astonishes me is how many people there seems to be who will readily say and do what they surely know is wrong. Things need to change. They should have changed long ago; let’s hope they change soon. Stay strong, Chris.

In my opinion it is hard to believe that, more than 10 years on since the current SEN-related legislation came into place, as a country we are still in a position in which so many parents and their children are let down. Life is challenging and stressful as it is, without the need to have to fight to get what a child is legally entitled to. I agree, to a point, that funding is one of the underlying causes of the difficulties that so many parents and their children face. However, in my opinion, it is in no way the only reason, the reasons stretch far wider than this. Each and every day families contact me in despair and inform me of things they have been told by certain school and local authority staff which conflict with the law. Some of these things are shocking. I also increasingly see such things written in emails, and hear them said in meetings. Will increasing the amount of money invested in the education system solve this? I personally do not think so. Rapid and effective means for parents to report the actions of staff where necessary need to be introduced. People need to be held to account for their actions, rather than the same thing being said and done to the next family and then the next. I hope things change soon.

Every week parents tell me of statements which have been made to them by certain local authority and in some cases school staff which conflict with the law. I also see such statements made by certain staff myself within emails, or hear them being stated directly within meetings. The question is why. Why does this happen? Why does it keep on happening? I think about this daily, and, logically, there can only be two possible explanations. One, the staff concerned know that what they are saying is not true. Or two, the staff concerned actually believe that what they are saying is fact. Though the latter is obviously better than the former, this is totally unacceptable. As I have always said, in my view there needs to be far greater training around SEN and general education law for all staff who work with or for children in any capacity. There also needs to be quick and easily accessible routes of accountability; not only do these things happen, but they seem to happen repeatedly. This year I will again do my best to bring about change. Best wishes to you all, Chris.

So many parents contact me stating that they have been told words to the effect of 'you can't pick and choose what goes into an EHCP'. Whilst we all understand this, it seems that many local authority's seem to think however that it is ok for staff who have never met or assessed a child, and indeed staff who are not qualified to do so, are somehow qualified to make these decisions. Staff who are not CAMHS or other medical professionals, Educational nor Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists nor Occupational Therapists, take it upon themselves to choose what content goes into an EHCP and what is removed. Where is the logic in this? In my opinion, far greater training is needed around SEN and general education law for all staff who work with or for children in any capacity. There also needs to be quick and easily accessible routes of accountability; not only do these things happen, but they seem to happen repeatedly. Stay strong and stick to what is right. Chris.

As we enter a new year I hope that this is an easier one for parents to secure the educational support to which your children are entitled to. It is such a shame that navigating a system which is surely designed to support children is such a challenge for so many families . Things need to change for you and your children. The barriers which present themselves need to be removed. The stress that the actions and words of certain staff cause is, in my opinion, unacceptable, avoidable and inexcusable. I have visited Downing Street twice in an attempt to make the system better for you all. This year I will be working on more ways to try to help fix what I believe is a broken system. I will continue to support families as much as possible this year. Stay strong, Chris.