SEN law update from leading legal professionals - 28 September 2017

To book your place at this event please click here.

This event is for case managers, independent therapists, schools and professionals advising young people and parents of children with special educational needs. It will provide information on the legal framework and issues to be aware of in order to support children and young people.

This will be a comprehensive update on all recent developments in SEN law from leading legal professionals including where we are now, where we are heading and what we have learnt. A must for professionals working in special educational needs and disabilities to ensure they are aware of all new developments – case law, DfE guidance and anticipated changes.

After a slow start since the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014 there has been a recent flurry of new case law which is developing our understanding of what parents can expect from local authorities and how best to present their cases to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. As we approach the deadline for full transition from Statements to EHCPs, we will look at what we have learnt and what more needs to be done.

Programme

• Education, Health and Social Care and post-19 provision
  Stephen Broach, barrister, will discuss the different approaches to eligibility taken by education, health and social care and the different approaches for young people both with and without EHC plans. He will focus on how the transition duties should operate as young people move from children’s to adult services.
• Key SEN cases
  Laxmi Patel, head of SEN team, will go through the most significant cases that have helped to develop the SEN arena since the Children and Families Act came into force in 2014.
• SEN developments – now and looking ahead
  Janata Ali, SEN specialist, will review recent statistics showing us where we are now. She will evaluate the development and evidence of good and poor practice and also share developments that are in the pipeline for children and young adults with special educational needs and disabilities.

Stephen Broach is a public law barrister at Monckton Chambers whose practice has a particular focus on children and young people with SEN, disabled children and young people and their families. Steve is co-author of the leading practitioner text in this area, Disabled Children: A Legal Handbook (Legal Action Group). He has appeared in cases involving the SEN and disability issues at every level of the legal system, from the First-tier Tribunal to the Supreme Court.

Laxmi Patel and Janata Ali from Boyes Turner’s Special Educational Needs team specialise in SEN law and guiding parents through their child’s schooling including appeals and representation to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. They work closely with case managers, court-appointed deputies, schools and independent therapists who support children and young people to ensure their needs are met.