A Hove mother is urging people to add their names to a petition to protect families’ legal rights because the government is proposing reforms to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) packages.
Mother-of-three Dee McMahon has had to fight for support for all her autistic children who had additional needs.
She has brought together other parents in Brighton and Hove who are members of Mascot, a community of families with neurodivergent children, to promote a petition calling on the government to think again.
They are concerned that the government’s proposals would limit education, health and care plans (EHCP) by replacing them with packages, reduce their right to appeal, remove school choice and weaken their legal rights.
Mrs McMahon came across the campaign by 15-year-old autistic teenager Tee-Jay Chetwynd and was inspired to get involved, having had a challenging time trying to get educational support for her own children.
She said: “I got involved with this because it just sang to me a little bit and means so much more.
“I have personal experience from it and I can see the wider implications for other families outside of ours as well.”
She shared the petition with Mascot parents, who joined in forming a task force group, creating a poster to boost the petition to the wider community.
The concern is not just for children with SEND but also the wider impact on teachers and pupils in mainstream classes.
Now that the petition has passed the 100,000 mark which means that it will be subject to a debate in Parliament, the group is lobbying Brighton and Hove’s three MPs
All three of Mrs McMahon’s children are autistic with various other special needs and all three were initially refused an EHCP but were given support after assessments and appeals.
Her two teenagers were also initially refused additional support for their A levels and GCSEs, and her younger child was refused an alternative education package outside of a traditional school environment.
In all three cases, the council conceded before a tribunal hearing.
Mrs McMahon said: “I know first-hand just how important it is for families to have access to an independent tribunal when they and a local authority cannot agree on what a child needs.
“For our family, the SEND Tribunal has been a vital free route to independent redress.
“It gave us somewhere to challenge decisions when we believed our children’s needs were not being met and a way of ensuring their legal rights could be enforced.”
The petition had more than 112,000 signatures last night. To sign it, click here.
