Anything BUT amazed
- By Brian Leveson
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- 09 Jul, 2020
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We have reviewed the headlines from Amaze’s NO BLAME report into coproduction with parent carers of children with disabilities in Haringey (commissioned by Haringey's Children’s Services and the charity ‘Contact’), and we are strictly embargoed into not discussing the findings more widely. So, we have reflected on our own experiences of coproduction, meetings we have attended, consultations we have participated in and blogs we have written. Here are our key findings.
Parents have been asking for the same things since 2015 (even in lockdown), at great expense to parents time, money and expertise. But Haringey have no system for changing this feedback into action.
Parents have been asking for the same 8 things since 2015 - Haringey just don't listen
Haringey have NO SYSTEM for turning parents input into coproduced OUTPUTS

Something else is needed - Haringey SEND cannot change themselves. An external task-force is needed here.
As Mister Justice Hayden observed when dealing with an issue involving a Haringey SEND family

Haringey SEND Transport are insisting that a 17 year old minibus with no air conditioning is a suitable vehicle to transport my paraplegic son in this heatwave. The appalling conditions inside the minibus inside the bus is something they knew about last summer, yet they have to date done nothing whatsoever provide a suitable minibus this year nor appropriately mitigate the temperatures inside the minibus.The conditions inside the minibus are so bad that they triggered multiple seizures during the heatwave as my son has epilepsy, which they SEND transport department know about and they also know that they are triggered by heat.It is not just son who is impacted: last year we know of one child who died on Haringey SEND Transport in the summer heatwave and another who had seizures.