The past month has been exciting for us here at ACT with the launch of a new service!
We deliver the SEND Mediation Service in Suffolk and have done for some 10 years. SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and we support parents, care givers and young people facing disputes related to their special educational needs and disabilities. From 1st September we expanded our reach into Norfolk and now hold the contract with Norfolk County Council for” Mediation and Disagreement Resolution” (MDR) services. MDR helps families resolve disagreements with Local Authorities in a way that is voluntary, impartial and person-centred.
As your chosen Charity partner, we thought you might find it interesting if we shared some of the sort of issues we help to resolve – you may have friends, family or customers who are experiencing these types of issues who you could pass our contact details onto, to see if we could help. As well as full blown mediations with Local Authorities, we also provide Advice and Guidance calls so anyone can give us a call to see if we can help. Our dedicated Mediation phone line is 01473 618675.
Common issues we advise on are:
- Local Authority refuses to complete an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) when the parents/carers feel it is needed
- Parents/carers think the EHCP has errors or areas omitted
- Needs assessments have not been carried out when required
- Appeals for refusals to pay transport costs
- EHCP in place, but parents/carers don’t think the school or other educational provision is the right one for the young person
So, encourage anyone you know who may be facing similar problems to give us a call and one of our specialist trained advisers will be happy to speak to them.
New services are an always a credit to our amazing staff and volunteers. It’ down to them that we continue to grow and have the opportunity to support more people.
However, despite all their hard work, our staff have still found the time this month to support the work of other charities. One of our staff members raised £167 running a MacMillan Coffee Morning at our HQ in support of her father. Lots of staff donated baked goods and even more staff got to enjoy them. Aswell as this, 10 staff competed in Home-Start in Suffolks’ Sports Day – they took part in archery, rounders, a three-legged race, an egg and spoon race and many more activities that took them outside of their comfort zone and back to their school sports day. They may not have come first but they did attempt a human pyramid which we were very proud of them for! It has inspired us to put on our own fundraising event next year so if you have any ideas, please contact us on admin@angliacaretrust.org.uk
