Parents must be empowered to work with the school and local services to ensure that their child's needs are properly identified and met from the word go. Parents often value independent advice and support while their child is being assessed for a possible statement. Under existing legislation, parents are offered this independent adviser only when a child receives a statement. We believe that such an adviser should be available to all parents whose children's needs are being formally assessed. In recent years local SEN parent partnership schemes have helped LEAs to work more effectively with parents of children who are being assessed or have statements.
Some schemes also offer support at earlier stages.
But many schools are unfamiliar with local schemes. And the withdrawal of financial support by the previous Government has put many schemes under pressure, bringing some to an end. We propose to encourage an expansion in the number and scope of parent partnership schemes. The responsibilities of each partner are clearly set out. The direction of the scheme is in the hands of a partnership committee, with parent representatives in the majority.