Services

CALL: 01722 658855        
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

SEN Action offers a specialist advisory and advocacy service for parents with children with special educational needs and for young people with SEN who wish to appeal to the SEN Tribunal (SENDIST) against the decision of their Local Authority (LA). 

You may decide to appeal if your Local Authority (LA) has done one of the following:

• Refused to conduct an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment(EHC Assessment);
• Refused to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP/ EHC Plan) following an EHC Needs Assessment;
• Has issued an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP/ EHC Plan), however you do not agree with the description of the special educational needs (Section B) or special educational provision (Section G) or the educational setting named in the plan (Section I)
• Has refused to amend the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP / EHC Plan) or the Statement of Special Educational Needs following an Annual Review despite your disagreement with what it says. Please note: Following each Annual Review you can appeal to the SEN Tribunal (SENDIST). 
• Has decided to cease the Education, Health and Care Plan or Statement of SEN. 

See details about the services we offer below:

CALL: 01722 658855   
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

SEN Action’s complete package means that your case will be handled by our highly experienced Specialist Advocate from start to finish (See our Advocate’s profile here).

As part of this service you will benefit from the following key service features:

• Direct contact details of your Advocate (Phone and E-mail)
• Extended hours of service to accommodate your schedule
• 24 Hour call back service (If we miss your call we will call you back within 24 hours)
• Full case management of the appeal. Whatever needs to be done on your appeal, we can do it. 
• Every appeal is different, however our service includes the following as standard:
  • Initial case review and consultation
  • Drafting and lodging your appeal
  • Preparation and submission of your evidence
  • Dealing with all correspondence with the Local Authority and the Tribunal
  • Full and on-going review of the evidence and documentation
  • Identification and instruction of experts
  • Liaison and consultation with your instructed experts
  • Attending meetings (in person or via telephone/ video conferencing)
  • Attendance and support at mediation meetings with the Local Authority
  • Full and comprehensive consideration of the Tribunal papers (known as the bundle) prior to the Hearing
  • Regular case updates provided to you throughout the appeal process
  • Full representation at the Hearing. No need to instruct a barrister

Our complete package is offered at a capped fee of £3,900 plus VAT. You will pay no more than this for our service and may pay less if your appeal settles without the need for a hearing. (See our cost page for more details)

There is no additional charge for our services if your Hearing doesn’t finish on the day. Any subsequent Hearing and preparation will be included as part of the capped fee. You will therefore, not incur any additional fee for our services if your appeal goes on longer than expected. 

If you would like to instruct SEN Action on your appeal or would like to discuss it further then please contact us either by telephone or e-mail:

CALL: 01722 658855
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

CALL: 01722 658855

E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

SEN Action offers a Representation Only service. This means that if you require specialist representation at your appeal Hearing then we can offer that support to you. 

You would choose this option for a number of reasons. You may have for example decided to prepare the entire appeal by yourself but want support at the Hearing. Or maybe somebody else has prepared the appeal for you but will not be representing you at the Hearing. They may suggest you instruct a barrister for example. 

SEN Action offers a highly competitive fee for representation at SEN Tribunals (SENDIST). You therefore, do not need to instruct an expensive barrister as SEN Action can offer you the specialist representation you need at a fraction of the cost. 

As part of this service you will benefit from the following key service features:

• Your case being handled by our highly experienced Specialist Advocate from start to finish (See our Advocate’s profile here)
• Direct contact details of your Advocate (Phone and E-mail)
• Extended hours of service to accommodate your schedule
• 24 Hour call back service (If we miss your call we will call you back within 24 hours)
• Specialist representation at the SEN Appeal Hearing. This service includes the following:
  • A free written advice or strategy note (if you require it)

    
    If you decide to prepare the appeal yourself without the support of SEN Action or one of its competitors then SEN Action will provide as part of its service a free strategy note. 

    This will include guidance on what we would suggest you do in order to prepare your appeal effectively. We will also work with you to identify and instruct relevant professionals if this is something you decide to do. 

    If you have instructed somebody else to do your case preparation or if this has already been done for you then a strategy note would not be provided. 

  • Review of appeal documentation (called the Tribunal bundle)
  • Liaison and consultation with your instructed professionals
  • Specialist representation at the Hearing by your specialist SEN Action Advocate

The cost of our Representation Only service is £2,500 plus VAT.  

If the case does not complete on the Hearing day and you require SEN Action’s continued involvement then you will be charged a maximum additional cost of £1,400 plus VAT. (See our cost page for more details)

If you would like to instruct SEN Action on your appeal or would like to discuss it further then please contact us either by telephone or e-mail:

CALL: 01722 658855
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

CALL: 01722 658855           
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

When the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SEN Tribunal/ SENDIST) makes a decision following a Hearing, either Party (Parent/ young person or Local Authority (LA)) has the right to appeal that decision to what is called the Upper Tribunal. 

We have provided a number of FAQs on the Upper Tribunal, however generally speaking an Upper Tribunal appeal involves a discussion on whether the SEN Tribunal has applied and followed the law correctly. It can involve a highly technical analysis of case law and legislation. 

Similar to the SEN Tribunal, parents/ young people can represent themselves at the Upper Tribunal. SEN Action can however offer this service for you at a highly competitive cost. 

SEN Action’s Specialist Advocate has extensive experience in handling Upper Tribunal cases and he will support you throughout the process from start to finish (See our Advocate’s profile here). 

As part of this service you will benefit from the following key service features:

• Direct contact details of your Advocate (Phone and E-mail)
• Extended hours of service to accommodate your schedule
• 24 Hour call back service (If we miss your call we will call you back within 24 hours)
• Full case management of the appeal. Whatever needs to be done on your appeal, we can do it. 
• Representation at the Upper Tribunal by our Specialist Advocate

What needs to be done on your Upper Tribunal appeal will depend on whether you are the one appealing or whether that is the local authority (LA). It also depends on the decision of the SEN Tribunal and what the areas of challenge are. 

In terms of cost please see our cost page for more details.

If you would like to instruct SEN Action on your appeal or would like to discuss it further then please contact us either by telephone or e-mail:

CALL: 01722 658855
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

CALL: 01722 658855           
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

Brief Overview:

Mediation and Dispute Resolution has been given an extra emphasis following the introduction of The Children and Families Act 2014. 

For example, in order to lodge an appeal with the Special Educational Needs & Disability Tribunal (SEN Tribunal/ SENDIST) you will have to speak to a qualified mediator first. The mediator has to be one identified by the LA and you will need a certificate from the mediator confirming that you have had a discussion. 

You don’t have to go to mediation but if you decide to the LA must cooperate in the process. 

For non-tribunal related issues (i.e. a disagreement with your or your child’s educational setting) then Dispute Resolution can be used to try and resolve the issue. 

Mediation may be a useful and cost effective way of resolving your issues with the LA or School. 

Our Services

SEN Action is able to offer you specialist support for any mediation or dispute resolution if this is a process you decide to engage in. Our Specialist Advocate is also a qualified mediator and has extensive experience in the area of SEN. 

As part of our service you will receive:

• Your case being handled from start to finish by our highly experienced Specialist Advocate who is also a qualified mediator
• Direct contact details of your Advocate (Phone and E-mail)
• Extended hours of service to accommodate your schedule
• 24 Hour call back service (If we miss your call we will call you back within 24 hours)
• Preparation of any relevant documentation/ statements
• Consideration of the LA’s / Schools documentation and statement
• Attendance and support at any mediation or dispute resolution meeting

The cost for this service is a capped fee of £2000 plus VAT. 

Please see our detailed FAQs for more information on this process. 

If you would like to instruct SEN Action on your mediation/ dispute resolution or would like to discuss it further then please contact us either by telephone or e-mail:

CALL: 01722 658855        
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

CALL: 01722 680176            
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk

This is a developing area of expertise for SEN Action and such our knowledge and expertise is growing. Our Specialist Advocate for example, recently supported a student to successfully challenge her final degree classification. The student had a disability that the University failed to take into account. 

Currently, SEN Action is offering its services free of charge to young people in higher education. The only costs that need to be covered will be the disbursements, which will be kept to a minimum. 

If you are interested please contact us:

CALL: 01722 680176            
E-MAIL: admin@senaction.co.uk