Introduction
Sometimes things go wrong. Find out what can you do when there is a mistake or delay relating to SEND. The first step is to talk to the service that has made the mistake or delay.
Make your concerns known as soon as possible by contacting the professional involved, such as the Special Educational Needs Coordinator, Social Worker, GP (Doctor) or practice manager.
You may want to ask for a meeting or a discussion.
- Use an email if you can, so that you have a record that you can refer back to
- Explain clearly and briefly what the mistake or delay is
- Try to avoid blaming anyone, you can do this by just stating facts
- Say what the impact of the mistake or delay is
- Set a realistic time for the professional to respond
- Say what you want to happen
For example:
At my meeting with you on 3 May, I was told that my child would be getting extra help for his difficulty with sitting still and listening. I am unhappy because it is now November, and he has not had any help and keeps getting into trouble. Can we meet to discuss this? Please respond within 2 weeks.
Ruth from the Somerset Parent Carer Forum gives tips for parent carers to prepare for meetings.
SENDIAS and IPSEA also have some model letter templates you can use on their websites.
If you do not hear back or the response is unsatisfactory, you may want to contact their manager. Have a look at What SEND Professionals Do page to understand who is responsible for what.
Help when things are not working
Some people find it helpful to talk to someone who understands the complaints process first and get some guidance and support. There are several services that can help you.
Advocacy
Sometimes we all need someone to help us get our voice heard. Whether it is in a meeting about your child or young person, or you may be a child or young person needing to have someone who is independent and not related that can make sure that your ideas and visions are heard, there are organisations and services designed to support people to have their feelings and frustrations heard. These people are usually known as advocates.
You can read more about advocacy on our Advice and advocacy page.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support (SENDIAS)
SENDIAS provides impartial, free, and confidential information, advice and support about special educational needs and/or disabilities. This can include information on SEN Support, Education, Health and Care, Education Health and Care Needs Assessments and Plans, Annual Reviews, mediation and Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals. Helen introduces the SENDIAS service as part of the Local Offer Live February 2022 sessions.
Find out more about SENDIAS .
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service is a free, confidential and independent service that you’ll find in most health services.
You can speak with a PALS member, who will try to help you resolve problems or concerns informally with the hospital or health service before you need to make a complaint.
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust – Patient Advice and Liaison Service
- NHS Somerset Integrated Commissioning Board – Patient Advice and Liaison Service
Healthwatch
Healthwatch Somerset can help you with knowing who to talk to, what to do and what you can expect from services in response. Their guidance also helps you find the local contacts you need to make a complaint about health and social care services in Somerset.
Citizens Advice
Citizens Advice can help you to understand your rights and responsibilities. They can guide when something has gone wrong with a purchase, when you have paid a person or business to do a service and it has not been done with care and skill. This may be if you experience problems with something you bought with direct payments.
Use their virtual adviser or phone the helpline to talk to a trained adviser. There is also a Young Citizens Advice for under 25 years olds.