Today is a new day!

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Thanks Pickle, will pop in to you soon. hoping you are ok!

Well, latest, asked for the complaints procedure at the school yesterday. Amazingly, a letter appeared in dd's book bag the same day apologising for the delay in arranging an appt, just that they want to meet with me and mum with the Education Welfare officer present and they are still getting convenient times sorted. So, am giving them till the end of September to do this and once again will ask for the complaint procedure if there is no appt agreed by then. I am arranging for one of the governors to be at the meeting.
Am going to speak to the Family Rights Group. Want to check given a meeting is potentially being arranged now, am I still within my rights to remind the Welfare Dept I am still waiting for a response to my letter to them, and then proceed with a complaint with them regardless of the meeting possibly taking place. I do not want to let the issue just fade when they have not adhered to Govt guidelines, good practice, the Disability Discrimination Act and the Human Rights Act and have put us through hell.

So, good news. 3 pictures sold at auction for £95 each. Really pleased, that will help the finances! Better get on and build my business!...

InaPickle

Well done on the paintings! :T

Nice to see you got some response from the school, even if it wasn't exactly what you were looking for. I hope you hear more soon. x

Verbatim

been away PAF so good to see how well you are progressing with the whole problem. You are so right to pursue it so that they don't think they can give you the run around whenever you're having a difficult time.
can you ask one of te education/disability charities to accompany you to the meeting? As they know about the law and will have experience it could be useful a) as an independent witness to what was said and b) to speak for you if necessary and to be in a better position to advise on any next steps.

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Well, I've done it. A complaint is on it's way to the Director of Children Services, and a copy of all correspondence is going to my MP, the school and the chairman of Governors although I have stressed as much as I would like to I am not filing a complaint against the school at this stage mainly because an appointment has been arranged for 5th October. I havemade it quite clear I will complain further if a satisfactory resolution is not found. Truthfully, I resent having that appointment. I KNOW friends and other families who have achieved less than dd in attendance percentages, who are occasionally late and who just carry on regardless, and here I am having to defend our 0.5% of dd not being at school and our 11% of 5/10 mins late. The meeting is going to be a room full. The Head, the Education Welfare Officer who has detailed all the lies, the SENCO, Special needs teacher, god knows why but the Head wants her there, there will be Care for Carers and then me and mum. What a ridiculous situation.

Developments since my last entry. I received a letter from the Education Welfare Service last Friday and it finished me off. She's apologised for various aspects of the referral such as where she said I had said I had "great difficulty caring for dd". I don't and never have, and she's now apologised. Shes now saying instead of "I've met with the school", the school "feel they have tried to engage with me". Completely different and something I still dispute. The school have ignored me. She still won't give any evidence to support the "emotional upset" that she detailed in May. Instead, whats she said is that she saw my dd in July one morning when I was walking her in and thought she looked "nervous" and then has put in brackets "emotionally upset". I am firmly disputing that. She's admitted to being incorrect about me writing to the school regularly. Shes said my mum isn't telling the truth and shes said that when mum called her for me to find out why we had been refered to Soc Sevices she had both our agreements that it was for the best and that mum had relayed the conversation to me while on the phone. Absolute c**p!!! I just can't abide the lies. There's more but I could go on and on such are the errors. One thing I can not abide is that she has quoted from a diary I kept back in 2007 for the physio to explain what a typical day was like after a fall such as how I managed looking after dd bearing in mind dd was just 3 then. One of my issues is that I have told her she is inaccurate with the reasons why we are late. She has responded by saying she got the info from the office staff. Ive responded with why them and not me! Then she has quoted from my diary which must be on a central file somewhere saying how I used to bath dd. Ive now queried in my complaint the relevanceof detailing this and how can she justify quoting from a diary that is from another time and of no significance to the issue of why we can be late.

Anyway, I didn't sleep well over the weekend, but if I say so myself my complaint leter is fab. Ive quoted from various policies that have not been adhered to such as "Working together to safeguard children " which says she shold have spoken to me and discussed any issues before making a referral and have highlighted the discrepancies and have basically said nothing short of the referral being obliterated from our file will satisfy me!

An appointment with the school is going ahead on 5th October. That was funny. Last week after receiving the letter from the Educ Welfare Dept, I called the school to say I was making an official complaint. What should come in dd's book bag that day but a date for the appt! I had to laugh! I am still waiting for the Young Carers Policy. The Education Welfare Officer said in her letter that I would need to speak to the school re dd's emotional upset so that will be an interesting conversation! After two requests, I have had nothing to clarify that. I really think it is another made up comment.

So, I really think they thought I wouldn't take any of this further but I am. Also, the disabled parking bay has made a return at the school. Interesting!

Anyway, thats where we are with that and I really hope something willcome of it all like we will be left alone to get on with our lives.

Financially, we are still tight but just about in control. I wil lbe able to pay themortgage this month and then it will reduce by £120 from next. Hallelujah!! Orders are doing well. Have a customer who has joined my team in the last couple of days which is great. So, I'm just really going to focus on being as positive as I can and remind myself we are doing well.

InaPickle

Sound like you are getting there, PaF, and it sounds like they are running for the hills!

Well done. Keep going, cos you are so nearly there. xxx

Jo4

I don't know where you get your strength from but you go girl!!

Verbatim

You are so right not to let this go! There are times years ago when I let things pass on by to my detriment and regret. As jo4 says "Go girl".

taxi73

Well done PAF..you're doing the right thing not letting them away with this

Angiepange

To Positive and Focused

I have been following your diary for many months now (only posted once ) and just wanted to say you are an absolute inspiration in what you are doing and what you have achieved.

I have nothing in common with you, apart from fighting for something I believe in, while problem after problem is thrown in the way.

Good luck to you from the bottom of my heart and keep being strong for your darling dd.

Angie x

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for all your encouragement. I feel so selfish as I haven't poppedinto any of your diaries to follow your progress and I am sorry about that. Time just passes, and my focus is to keep myself together and to keep the work and money coming in. I will see how you all are, this weekend I will go for. . Dd and I will be working tom, saturday, simply because I made myself quite ill earlier in the week, not sleeping meant I just felt ill on Tuesday, had a horrible panic attack and ended up sleeping much of the day at my mum's and so I am on catch up. I don't think they know about my panic attacks I occasionally have and given what they have done with just knowing about my disability, its not info I want them to know unless I have to tell them. Given the lies, I really am beginning to think they are a law to themselves and fear they would take dd away from me for any reason. That's my greatest fear.

Anyway, my letter to our MP is good and I hope he will take an interest. I have focused on the fact that government policy has not been adhered to, best practice ignored, and tax payers money wasted! I'velearnt that a community assessment for me as disabled parent could be considered and I have not been offered one during this process. I am not sure if that is the same as Direct Payments, all I know is that I have a friend who is disabled, has an able bodied husband and no children and she receives help through a system to have a PA in order to help run her business. I am disabled, have no able bodied husband, have dd and yet I've been told in the past if, and it would be a big if, if I was to be accepted for Direct Payments it would effect my DLA which I had to fight for anyway. So, I feel to be able to really know what real help is out there as opposed to pointless interference and lies, I need someone who knows their stuff and who can act on my behalf. On that note, will have another cuppa and then build my business! One thing at a time!