When
May 20, 2021, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
‘Local authorities have huge powers over the lives of families with children who have special needs, making decisions with potentially lifelong consequences. Where parents are unhappy with those decisions, there is a fundamental and frightening inequality of power.’
This was an observation of Mrs Justice Collins Rice in L Kumar v LB of Hillingdon [2020] EWHC 3326 (Admin), which concerned the right to a lawyer at a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) mediation. Bringing a claim to the SEND Tribunal can be an exhausting and protracted process, with the structural power imbalances between the parties compounded by difficulties that families face in accessing legal aid. Before bringing a claim, a parent or young person has to consider mediation. But is it a useful process? What can parties do to maximise the prospects of a ‘successful’ outcome?
This webinar is a frank discussion about the SEND mediation process, including reflections from a range of expert speakers with differing perspectives, on how to get the most out of it.
View the recording here:
