Special Educational and Disability Information, Advice Support Service Manchester

Disagreement Resolution and Mediation Services in Manchester

Most disagreements can be sorted out by talking with the school, college, local authority, or Clinical Commissioning Group. Sometimes it can be difficult to reach agreement and IAS Manchester can help by providing impartial information, advice and support. Where issues can still not be resolved, disagreement resolution or mediation services may be needed.  

In line with the SEND Code of Practice, local authorities and health commissioners must make disagreement resolution and mediation services available to parents and young people up to the age of 25. These services must be independent of the Local Authority and are free and confidential.

In Manchester, the City Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group have jointly commissioned five providers to deliver these services. These are:

• Solution Talk
• Collis Mediation
• KIDS
• Link Mediation Ltd
• Together Trust

Disagreement
Resolution

The disagreement resolution service is there to help resolve three kinds of disagreement between parents or young people and the organisations that are responsible for making provision for children and young people with special educational needs. These are about:
  • How early years providers, schools and further education institutions carry out their duties for children and young people with SEN. For local authorities this includes keeping education and care provision under review, assessing needs and drawing up Education, Health and Care plans. For governing bodies and proprietors of schools it includes using their “best endeavours” to meet children and young people’s SEN.
  • The special educational provision made for a child or young person by early years providers, schools or further education institutions. This includes children and young people receiving SEN support and those with EHC plans.
  • Health or social care provision when this part of an EHC needs assessment, while EHC plans are being drawn up, reviewed or when children or young people are being reassessed. 
Disagreement resolution services can also be used:
  • during EHC needs assessments
  • while EHC plans are drawn up
  • while waiting for Tribunal appeals
  • at review 
  • During reassessments. 

Mediation

Mediation is a type of disagreement resolution. Mediation can take place following decisions by a local authority not to carry out an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment, not to draw up an EHC plan, after they receive a final EHC plan or amended plan, following a decision not to amend an EHC plan or a decision to stop maintaining an EHC plan.     

If you wish to register an appeal with the First Tier Tribunal (SEN and disability) you first have to consider mediation. This is called mediation advice. Once you have had the mediation advice you can decide whether you want to go to mediation.

You do not need to seek mediation advice first if the appeal is only about the name of the school, or college, named on the plan, the type of provision specified in the plan or the fact that no school or other institution is named. 

If you choose mediation the local authority (or Clinical Commissioning Group) must take part. The meeting will be arranged within 30 days.

An independent mediator runs the meeting. When the meeting has finished the mediator issues you with a certificate within 3 working days. You need this certificate to register an appeal to the First Tier Tribunal.

If you decide not to go to mediation the mediation adviser will issue you with a certificate within 3 working days. You will need this certificate to register an appeal to the First Tier Tribunal.

How to access Disagreement Resolution or Mediation

All requests must be made to IAS Manchester via the 

  • Confidential Helpline 0161 209 8356 or 
  • By email parents@manchester.gov.uk
    If requesting by email, please provide a contact telephone number so that an advisor can ring you to discuss your request.
IAS Manchester will be able to help you decide if dispute resolution or mediation is the right way forward. 

Further advice

The IAS Manchester Information Resource: What if I do not agree with decisions about SEN provision? has further advice about what you can do if your child has special educational needs (SEN) or a disability and you are unhappy about the help they are getting.

Updated September 2019
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