Complain, compliment or suggest

We are committed to working together to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

We aim to be an open and accessible council; genuinely involving, engaging and listening to our community. Your feedback is important to us, we welcome your compliments, suggestions and concerns/complaints; this feedback helps us to improve the services we deliver. Sometimes you may not be happy with the service that you receive from us; in the first instance please speak to your linked officer to let us know what has not gone as you wished so that we can resolve the issue. Contact details for members of the SEND service can be found on letters and emails that you have received. Or you may contact us through our general number/email.

You may have compliments, suggestions or complaints about a number of agencies who provide services to children and young people with SEND. To ensure that you can talk to the right people regarding your concerns please see the list below;

    Provide feedback regarding a council service for children and young people.

    To make a complaint, compliment or suggestion regarding a council service for children and young people with SEND please click on the box below. This link can be used to provide feedback regarding children and young people aged 0 – 25 years (children’s and adults’ services).

    Please note that the Local Authority will listen carefully to users the concerns of service received, however it will not engage in discussions about the appropriateness of an individual officer’s behaviour or performance. We will of course respond to concerns about the decision or actions of the Local Authority in the provision of a service including management of complaints.

    When using the online complaints form, which can be accessed via the box below please use the ‘other council service’ option on the drop down menu to provide feedback regarding SEND services.

    Give us your feedback.

    Provide feedback regarding a school / educational setting.

    It is important that parents and the school, college or early years setting work together to support children/young people in order to improve outcomes. If you do have feedback including concerns about your child’s education, please discuss your concerns with their class teacher or ask to speak to the school SENCo or a member of the management team.

    If you are unable to resolve an issue through your conversations, you can use the school’s or setting’s complaints procedure which will be published on their website.

    Feedback regarding a health service

    Healthwatch are the independent voice for residents of Newham who use health and social care services, to find out more please follow this link Healthwatch.

    Feedback to East London Foundation Trust.

    Who can provide support?

    You can seek support in resolving issues from Newham’s SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service) via email sendiass@newham.gov.uk or telephone 020 3373 8385. The video below will help you to understand the ways in which SENDIASS may be able to help you. 

    SEND Contact Us Line

    You can also seek advice by calling the SEND Contact Us line 0203 373 6472 Lines open Mon to Fri 10.00am – 4.00pm excluding Bank Holidays.

    Appealing a decision on Education Health and Care assessments and plans

    If you are not happy about any decision made about your child’s EHC plan or assessment for a plan please talk to the SEN team so that we can see if we can resolve the issue. Details of who to talk to in the team will be included in any information sent to you. 

    Independent mediation

    If we have not been able to come to an agreement regarding the issue we would wish to engage in mediation to seek resolution. Mediation is a less formal way of working out a solution to a problem and involves having a trained, impartial, independent person who can help all sides agree on what to do next. You can contact KIDS via this link or by telephone 03330062835 to arrange mediation.

    You are required to contact mediation services to discuss whether mediation may be a suitable way of resolving the disagreement prior to making an appeal.

    You can appeal to the special educational needs and disability tribunal about certain aspects including:

    • Sections B, F and I, on your child’s EHC plan
    • The decision not to assess
    • The decision not to issue an EHC plan following an assessment.
    • Include annual review/ceasing

    Details of how you can appeal are found on letters sent by the SEN team or on the Government’s website.

    The Local Authority cannot look at matters that form part of the Tribunal process or consideration as this is for the Tribunal to consider and forms a separate legal process. The Local Authority cannot and will not consider complaints made about the decisions of the Tribunal or the evidence considered by the Tribunal. These issues should be directed to the Tribunal itself.

    Single route of redress information to remain the same.

    Last updated: 29/09/2022

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