Parent Question:
I am trying to look for parent advocacy lawyers for my autistic son. I did see it on the website a while ago, cannot seem to find it.
IPSEA Answers:
If you want independent advice and support – including a parent advocate - in challenging your child’s school or LA then you can contact us at IPSEA (www.ipsea.org.uk). Your case will be supported by one of our highly trained volunteer advisors. All our services are free to parents.
If you want to instruct an advocate to help support you in bringing a case to challenge a decision made by your LA at the SEND Tribunal then there are a number available. You will need to search “SEN education advocate”. There are many offering their services; all will expect to be paid for the work they do on your behalf and whilst some have a vast range of experience and training in the law such advocates are not necessarily lawyers. You need to be careful in your choices as some are brilliant and others not good at all.
If you want to instruct a lawyer to take on your case then you need to search for an SEN specialist lawyer – not just an education lawyer. Again they will need to be paid (more than an SEN advocate) and you need to make sure they are specialists in SEN.
What you choose will depend on what your budget is and what you need to achieve.
