The mum of an autistic boy who has missed school for two-and-a-half years has finally won her fight with a council. Allana Carvells can now send her 10-year-old son Joshua to school after reaching an agreement.
The deal, in which she has been given an allowance to organise a taxi service herself, brings to an end a long-running wrangle with the council over her son's transport to the special school. "It's been a long and arduous process," said the mother of five, "but Joshua is finally going to get to school and meet his new classmates."
Joshua was placed at Kingfisher School, Oldham in Manchester. This was because they were told by Salford City Council that there were no places for SEND (special educational needs and disability) children in the borough, the MEN reports.
And the Carvells' plight has brought to the surface other difficulties in education provision for SEND children in a city in which thousands of children have been identified as requiring support. Two recent cases, in which the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found against Salford city council, forcing it to compensate parents, have highlighted the pressure on the system.
As reported by the MEN on December 12, the Salford authority handed over more than £3,000 to the mother of a boy with autism, following failures that resulted in him missing four months of school. Similarly, on November 4, it was reported that the Ombudsman slammed officers and senior managers at Salford who knew a girl was without education for two school terms but 'failed to take responsibility'. That mother received £4,000.
Salford council says that where 'specialist provision is part of an EHCP plan' it can take time to source. Describing itself as 'acutely aware' of the impact of delays on families, the council said the 'far from ideal' situation 'reflects the resource pressures we face'.
A spokesperson for Salford city council said: "In Salford there are 6,030 school-age children identified as requiring SEND support, one in five, five-to-16-year-olds. In addition, there are a further 2,698 children with education, health and care plans (EHCP).
"The underfunding of SEND services is a national issue and requires a national response, with problems escalating and exacerbated during COVID. Each of these 8,728 cases is an individual child and their challenges can be specific, multi-faceted, complex and detailed.
“The focus for the council is always the best interests and welfare of each child and it is important that where EHCPs are needed that solutions identified are supported by parents as well as the local authority, agencies and schools. The local authority acts in line with SEND regulations and this quite rightly includes the parent’s right of appeal to a tribunal, providing a legal way to test decisions, address disagreements and find an agreed way forward. It is a key aspect of the SEND system, with 0.02 per cent of appealable decisions resulting in tribunal proceedings in Salford.
“Where specialist provision is part of an EHCP plan, it can take time to source and we are acutely aware of the impact of delays on families. This is far from ideal and reflects the resource pressures we face.
“If the right provision for a child isn’t available within the city we will do our absolute best to meet those needs within a reasonable travel distance. Parents are key to the successful development of their children. The council provides a service, SIASS (Salford Information, Advice and Support Services), which helps parents navigate a complex system.
"We also have active parent carer forums and a parents assembly which works with the council on priorities and ongoing changes needed. We know that the council will not always get its responses right and there will always be improvements that can be made. Our head of service for SEND would also welcome a meeting with these parents.”
