Parents sometimes disagree with the decisions that the local authority or health board makes about their child’s EHC plan, or the needs assessment to make one.
The first step is always to try and resolve those disagreements by talking to the people who make the decisions.
If that doesn’t work, then the two main options open to you are to go to a mediation meeting or appeal to the SEND tribunal.
Many parents tell us they find this kind of meeting or process daunting and sometimes stressful. So we developed two new step-by-step guides to help you.
Our Guides to Going to Mediation and Appealing to the SEND tribunal are full of tips and practical strategies to help you decide whether to go ahead, and if you do, how to make the process go as smoothly and as well as possible. As with all of our information, it’s based on the questions we get asked every day on our enquiry line. The information is written in clear English and broken down in to small chunks and questions and answers to help you find what you need to know.
The guides include information about
- What to think about when you’re deciding whether to mediate or appeal.
- What the law says and what the time scales are.
- The key facts to know about each process.
- Top tips for how to prepare well.
- What happens afterwards.
Both guides are available on our website and as downloadable PDFs. If you would rather have a printed copy sent to you, contact us and ask for one.