{"id":42931,"date":"2023-01-20T08:38:57","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T08:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chopsybaby.com\/magazine\/?p=42931"},"modified":"2023-01-20T08:38:58","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T08:38:58","slug":"bristol-city-council-investment-to-fight-send-families-at-tribunal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chopsybaby.com\/magazine\/bristol-city-council-investment-to-fight-send-families-at-tribunal\/","title":{"rendered":"Bristol City Council ‘Investment’ To Fight Send Families at Tribunal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bristol City Council has allocated \u00a3200k of money in its budget to pay for the legal costs associated with providing support to children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We discovered the sum of money listed under ‘Investment Proposals Within The People Directorate’ in budget papers going to Cabinet this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listed under ‘Educational Improvement Service Pressure’ the \u00a3200k has been allocated specifically to ‘legal costs for tribunal cases’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tribunal cases occur in Bristol when families feel forced to take the council to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability<\/a>) – Sendist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tribunal handles appeals against Local Authority (LA) decisions around Send provision. It includes such things as appealing for a child to have an education health care needs assessment, the contents of an EHCP, schools named in the plan or even maintaining a plan when an LA decides not to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics released in December 2022 and analysed by Special Needs Jungle’s<\/a> Matt Keer found that nationally, LAs had a 3.7 per cent success rate in the 5,600 hearings which took place in 2021\/22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A public What Do They Know Freedom of Information (FOI<\/a>) request made regarding Bristol’s statistics in August 2022 remains to be answered by the council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrister Alice de Coverley Tweeted on January 11 2023 that the Tribunal service for Send issues was then running on a 52 week timetable meaning families forced down this route would be waiting a year for a hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alice said: ‘The FTT is currently running on a 52 week timetable for new EHCP appeals. 52 weeks, a YEAR, for a hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘These are vulnerable, disabled children and young people, who are often out of education completely, with increasing mental health difficulties, without any or any appropriate special educational provision or social care support. Ridiculous.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The FTT is currently running on a 52 week timetable for new EHCP appeals.

52 weeks, a YEAR, for a hearing.<\/p>— Alice de Coverley (@Grays_Ink) January 11, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>