Last week, my husband and I attended a two-hour online mediation meeting with Lancashire County Council (LCC). The purpose of the meeting was to present our reasons for disagreeing with the specialist school (Nugent House) that LCC has chosen for our ASD son.
Here’s the dictionary definition of mediation:
Mediation is the process of talking to two separate people or groups involved in a disagreement to try to help them agree or find a solution to their problems. It is a method of resolving issues between two or more parties without resulting in litigation. Mediation makes use of a neutral third party, a “mediator,” to help guide the parties to the dispute toward a solution that all can agree to. The mediator is an impartial third party who neutrally assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialised communication and negotiation techniques.
We used Global Mediation and they were really good and the mediator was prepared, contacting me a few days before the meeting.
However, I can honestly say that 30 minutes into the meeting, I knew LCC weren’t going to compromise in any way, shape, or form. They seem quite content to let the matter go to tribunal, as it buys their department some breathing space and leaves them with one less child to deal with in the meantime.
During the mediation, LCC’s representative repeatedly emphasised that they are “an evidence-based service” and assured us that all the schools they deal with are quality checked. However, when I asked for details of the latest Quality Check for Nugent House, she couldn’t provide any information. It feels incredibly one-sided that they demand evidence from us to justify why the school isn’t right for Theo, yet they don’t seem to have to provide evidence for why they think it is right for him.
Dealing with LCC has felt like playing a (very slow) game of tennis – we bat the ball to them, and they bat it back with objections.
We’re still at the point where we’re refusing to send our son to the school that LCC has chosen (and started paying for), despite me informing them as soon as the school was named that we wouldn’t be sending him there.
Our son has been out of school since October 2024. He’s a very sociable boy, so we have some good days and some bad days. Him not being in school just magnifies how different he feels, and he really hates that. He just wants to fit in.
My husband and I firmly believe we’re doing the right thing. We want our son to thrive in his school environment, and we truly believe he wouldn’t thrive at Nugent House. So, off to tribunal we go. I won’t lie – I’m nervous about it. I also feel it’s a colossal waste of resources, time, and money.
To be clear, I looked at around 20 specialist schools, and I liked all of them except the one LCC chose for my son. I’m not insisting on one specific school – any of the others would have been fine. But Nugent House is a BESD (Behavioural, Emotional, Social Difficulties) school, not an ASD specialist school.
LCC has placed my son in a behavioural school rather than an ASD school. Does this mean they think autism is behavioural? Surely not?
Has anyone else been to a tribunal fighting for the same thing? I’d love to hear how you got on.
x
Add comment
Comments
I too am with LCC. The lies they have told are unbelievable. How did you manage to pin them down for mediation? I requested mediation straightaway and they ignored the request. Once I was issued the certificate to go to tribunal and filed all the paperwork on the deadline date, they then offered mediation…which I accepted and then they revoked it because I had filed for mediation. I now have a tribunal date set for 7th May. My son has not been in school since July 2024. The whole systemic failure of this LA is outrageous.