Solution Talk | Our Services
SEND MEDIATION & DISAGREEMENT RESOLUTION SERVICES
If you find yourself dissatisfied with decisions regarding an Education and Health Care Plan or the provision of educational support for yourself or your child with Special Educational Needs/Disabilities (SEND), our services are tailored to assist you.
Solution Talk offers an independent mediation and disagreement resolution service, completely free of charge for parents, carers, and young people. Our aim is to facilitate amicable resolutions to disputes between parents, young people, and local authorities. These disputes typically revolve around the special educational needs and disabilities of children and young people, and the most effective methods of meeting those needs.
Our team of SEND mediators is accredited by both the College of Mediators and the Civil Mediation Council and they are listed on their register of Special Educational Needs & Disability Mediation Providers, ensuring adherence to rigorous professional standards supported by the Department for Education.
MEDIATION AND DISAGREEMENT RESOLUTION
These approaches offer constructive methods for resolving disagreements by fostering understanding and agreement among all parties involved.
In mediation, our impartial and independent mediators facilitate discussions among stakeholders to ensure that everyone’s perspectives are heard and understood. The goal is to reach consensus on important decisions regarding an Education and Health Care Plan or Needs Assessment. Participation in mediation does not impact your right to pursue tribunal proceedings.
If you opt to proceed directly to tribunal, it is now mandatory to obtain impartial information about mediation within two months of receiving the local authority decision letter. Our Mediation Information and Advice Service (MIAS) offers unbiased guidance over the phone. If mediation is not the right choice for you, Solution Talk will promptly provide a MIAS Certificate within three working days, enabling you to proceed with tribunal appeal within 30 days.
DISAGREEMENT RESOLUTION is a voluntary process available to all children and young people with SEND, irrespective of whether they have an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan or are undergoing assessment. This process aims to address various types of disagreements and prevent their escalation. Our Disagreement and Resolution meetings follow the same structured approach as mediation sessions.
For further information on your local SEND mediation providers, please contact your local authority. Feel free to email us for a PDF copy of our SEND information leaflet.
MEDIATION TESTIMONIALS
