Cherry Blossoms and Underdogs
- By The Difficult Parent
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- 05 Oct, 2019
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The best thing about the Rugby World Cup is 1) Its Rugby 2) its on the telly 3) the other DP can watch in their PJs, drooling, eating breakfast and I am left in peace... the benefits are manifold! This morning as Japan's XV - The Cherry Blossoms - smash their way out of the pool stages I reflect on the number of afternoons I spent reading the Sunday newspapers ignoring my own Cherry Blossom's sporting endeavours, I think about the tenacity and determination of the underdog to carry on, to succeed, in all weathers, against all-comers, win or loose, always in some way undefeated... OK, enough of that, now I really must write this week blog...
So, I have previously written four blogs on parent engagement - so what's improved - and what still needs to be urgently done...
Last week, 28th September 2019, no of those requests were new
in my blog '10 easy wins' I said..
in my blog '10 easy wins' I said..
- Meeting dates in advance - 6 months in advance or a regular frequency for meetings regarding Parent Engagement & Co-production
- Rotating chairs (previously suggested in March 2019)
- Reliable meeting minutes (Asked for in 10th February blog)
- Agenda and papers well in advance (Asked for 10th February blog)
- Please ask officers to read papers in advance (It was asked that parents attending the Transitions Reference Group read papers in advance in a Co-Production Protocol circulated on 27th March 2019)
- Please ask officers to ensure they give reliable information to parents. What each parent group actually does is not included in the information on Haringey's "Get Involved" pages - it gives the impression that all groups are active participants in all areas of co-production, which is not the case. SendPACT asked for during the Parent Engagement & Co-production meetings.
- Please ask offers to keep in touch - after three follow up emails we have a meeting to discuss these concerns on Wednesday
- Please ask officers to moderate their language - officers do not listen sympathetically to how some of their behaviours come across and are quick to be aggressive and argumentative in their defence of themselves - without listening to the evidence at all.
- Please ask officers to really listen to us and make the information accessible and available and easy for parents to read and access - suggestions have been made from various parent groups about communication from the whole Integrated Service SEN and Disabilities department - in emails from 2018 and in the Parent Engagement & Co-production meetings and various blogs.
- Please, ask officers to respect us, treat us with dignity. The same dignity and respect they should show you, Councillor Brabazon
5th May
In my blog 'Whose job is it anyway?'
I asked who is the Senior Responsible Officer at the Local Authority for Parent Engagement
I still don't know
In my blog 'Whose job is it anyway?'
I asked who is the Senior Responsible Officer at the Local Authority for Parent Engagement
I still don't know
27th April
In my blog 'Went the day well' I wrote:
Reflecting upon yesterday, I have to be grateful that the local authority were prepared to meet with parents to discuss all future engagement with parents. But how do I get over the anger and bitterness I feel that three and a half years of parent's time has been wasted trying to persuade the local authority to go about things differently; to think carefully about how they communicate with parents; being mindful to respect Haringey's own Code of Conduct and Principles of Codesign. Moving forward, how do we believe we can get over this? That this is not a trick to get them through OFSTED and to ensure future DfE funding for the charity Contact.
In my blog 'Went the day well' I wrote:
Reflecting upon yesterday, I have to be grateful that the local authority were prepared to meet with parents to discuss all future engagement with parents. But how do I get over the anger and bitterness I feel that three and a half years of parent's time has been wasted trying to persuade the local authority to go about things differently; to think carefully about how they communicate with parents; being mindful to respect Haringey's own Code of Conduct and Principles of Codesign. Moving forward, how do we believe we can get over this? That this is not a trick to get them through OFSTED and to ensure future DfE funding for the charity Contact.
- We have a pledge from Cllr Brabazon that things will get better...
- There has been restructuring at the local authority and we have a governance and reporting structure for Transitions Reference Group and SEND Improvement Board - but not the Parent Engagement & Co-production meetings
- BUT there are now Parent Engagement & Co-production meetings...
- The local authority are looking for a new model for engagement - not just through one channel .
February 10th
In my blog 'The Imbalance of Power' I asked:
How will the local authority ensure that they are working with parent carers? As nice as it is to hear that they are also recognising our concerns (now that we received the meeting minutes for SEND Reforms) nobody has sat down with us and discussed what the depth of the problems are, what the nature of the problems are and what it is we would like to see regarding reporting, governance, record keeping etc. It feels like the local authority are trying to cover up their mistakes and making decisions 'elsewhere'. This seems to go against their own Principles of Codesign. We have offered to meet with the appropriate Assistant Director - but this was declined.
How will the local authority ensure that they are treating all parent carers as equal partners, experts by experience and fellow professionals? Are the local authority ensuring that all parents have available to them copies of papers, meeting minutes, agendas well in advance of meetings (at least 5 working days); that the purpose of the meetings or a piece of work is clearly set out at the beginning of a meeting or a piece of work commencing?
In my blog 'The Imbalance of Power' I asked:
How will the local authority ensure that they are working with parent carers? As nice as it is to hear that they are also recognising our concerns (now that we received the meeting minutes for SEND Reforms) nobody has sat down with us and discussed what the depth of the problems are, what the nature of the problems are and what it is we would like to see regarding reporting, governance, record keeping etc. It feels like the local authority are trying to cover up their mistakes and making decisions 'elsewhere'. This seems to go against their own Principles of Codesign. We have offered to meet with the appropriate Assistant Director - but this was declined.
How will the local authority ensure that they are treating all parent carers as equal partners, experts by experience and fellow professionals? Are the local authority ensuring that all parents have available to them copies of papers, meeting minutes, agendas well in advance of meetings (at least 5 working days); that the purpose of the meetings or a piece of work is clearly set out at the beginning of a meeting or a piece of work commencing?
- We have still not been asked about what it is we would like to see in terms of reporting, governance and record keeping
- Paper and minutes are coming earlier than they were for some meetings - maybe a week before - but not as in advance as they could be - 2 weeks / 10 working days would be better
- There is still an overwhelming culture of they say and we are supposed to do as we are told / they call we are to respond
Back to the rugby, and the tenacity and determination of The Cherry Blossoms, victorious underdogs!
If you thought SEND was bad - the NHS is seemingly prepared to throw away money to private companies
About 3 or 4 times a year we get the euphemistic message 'Parents please note we have put a letter in your child's bag' - its a world away from how a child's death was handled in my child's first school
More of a trial by ordeal than a well organised clearly set out administrative process for moving the care of vulnerable young adults from Haringey's Children's Services to Adult Services. We have been failed at every stage of the process.
Never EVER get on the bus without a camera running if you need the priority wheelchair space
The reality of using a London Bus in the teeming rain on a Sunday afternoon is no joke when the parents of a paraplegic person in a wheelchair clash with the self-entitled buggy-pushing parents of toddlers.
At 3pm today I received some barefaced lies from Haringey Council Adult Social Care in response to a photograph I published online yesterday and the media interest it generated
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.
I am simply asking a question - are we all absolutely certain that the road closure / travel restrictions (commonly know as LTNs) placed on some of the most severely disabled people who are wholly reliant on cars are absolutely necessary
Haringey's road closures exemptions policy for disabled people is not fit for purpose, unduly burdensome and intrusive - it's time to stand up against the pro-LTN lycra-clad cycling bullies
Is the argument for and against exemptions for disabled people in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods really a case of GOOD versus EVIL?
