Home :: Publications :: Events :: News :: Volunteers :: Training :: Contact Us :: FAQs
Text only publications page :: Graphical publications page
Multi-agency Special Educational Needs (SEN) assessment panel
This information is for parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) who are being considered for a statutory assessment of their needs under the Education Act 1996.
A panel system
In Nottinghamshire a multi-agency panel considers information about individual children when an assessment has been requested by their parent/carer, or by a school, or suggested by a Local Education Authority (LEA) officer.
What does the panel do?
The panel looks at the evidence and matches it against the criteria set out in the SEN Code of Practice (2001) before making a recommendation to the LEA. The LEA has legal responsibility for deciding whether it needs to carry out a statutory assessment of a child’s needs and for notifying parents of decisions by letter. In time the panel may advise the LEA about other decisions it has to take, eg. whether a statement should be issued.
Why is the panel needed?
A recent LEA review of special educational needs recommended a more open system of decision-making about statutory assessments, with people from outside the LEA contributing to the decisions made.
How does it work?
The panel system is chaired and managed by a voluntary organisation, Family Welfare Association (FWA), which is already providing support to the Parent Partnership Service locally.
Other members are an LEA SEN officer, a SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), a head teacher or deputy head, a Parent Partnership Service worker, an educational psychologist, and representatives from Social Services, Health and the LEAs Support Services.
Panel members are not people who know the individual children for whom assessments are requested. Members represent their agencies and are chosen for their breadth of experience in special educational needs work. They are all required to undertake specific training to prepare them for their role as panel members.
How are parents involved?
The LEA will write to you to ask for your views on your child’s special educational needs. Your views are then forwarded to the panel.
Does it mean slower decisions?
No, the timescale is the same. Parents receive a decision from the LEA six weeks after a request for an assessment has been made.
What are the benefits?
The panel system should lead to more consistent decisions and the whole process will be more open. The panel is being evaluated and regular reports on how it is developing will be made available.
Is it confidential?
Yes. Members of the panel sign up to an agreement on confidentiality and copies of reports and information about children are disposed of securely afterwards by FWA.
What can I do if I disagree with the decision the LEA makes following the recommendation of the panel?
Your rights do not change. You can make your views known to the LEA officer who writes to you with the decision. You can also use the Parent Partnership Service or a mediation service to help you resolve the situation. You have a statutory right to appeal to the SEN and Disability Tribunal if you are unhappy with the decision. All the agencies which work with parents and carers of children with special educational needs are committed to helping you reach agreement and ensure that suitable provision is made for your child.
The Parent Partnership Service provides information, advice and support for parents of children with special educational needs. For further information please contact the Parent Partnership Helpline on 0115 948 2888 or write to them at Suite 5 Clarendon Chambers, 32 Clarendon St, Nottingham, NG1 5LN.
FWA takes the views of people who use our services very seriously. If you have a complaint, or wish to make a comment about the operation of the panel in regard to your child, please contact the Complaints Officer, Family Welfare Association, 501-505 Kingsland Rd, London, E8 4AU (tel: 0207 254 6251) who will send you FWA’s complaints leaflet.
Copyright 1994
© Parent Partnership Service
Site design by Make Hay contact the webmaster