We disabled people have launched a legal challenge against the consultation for closure of ticket offices. sarah leadbetter and I, with Leigh Day, barristers and allies. The consultation is a travesty, as are the proposals which are a wholesale attack. leighday.co.uk/news/news/2023…

CAMHS crisis - the long wait for neuro assessments. Thousands of children with suspected #ADHD and #autism are suffering “severe and irrevocable damage” to their futures, as they wait up to seven years for NHS help. politicshome.com/thehouse/artic…

Key areas identified for improvement were better training for decision-makers, improvements to guidance, and better understanding/use of the correct legal tests when making decisions. 3/4

1/ Good to have this report out after a lot of hard work. Thanks to all the SEND mediators who provided valuable insights for improving local authority decision-making. #SEND #decisionmaking #localgov #mediation #education Administrative Justice Council Department for Education Kids University of Essex

Pleased to see Administrative Justice Council report on improving local authority #SEND decisionmaking is out. Includes important insights from mediators. Latest DfE stats show 5,900 reported mediations last year (compared with 4,900 reported tribunal cases). That’s a lot of learning! #mediation

If your child with an #EHCP, or who’s currently in the EHCNA process, had received the correct support and intervention they needed in #school at a much earlier stage, is it less likely they’d have needed a plan or specialist/alternative provision?

This is depressing news. Not surprising, but still depressing. There are so many reasons to object to this. #mediation #keepitvoluntary #smallclaims #accesstojustice @LfL_Advicenow Civil Mediation Council (CMC) College of Mediators gov.uk/government/new…

Worth a read - Joshua Rozenberg on why making mediation compulsory for small claims is such a bad idea. Also points out that the ‘free’ mediation isn’t free at all. (And whether it’s ‘mediation’ at all is another question.) rozenberg.substack.com/p/it-takes-two… #accesstojustice #mediation

Now updated with more details of the government's plans.

We’ve got a bumper summer newsletter to share including plans to “change the weather” & news of a big gathering in Oct. Sign up here socialcarefuture.org.uk/join-in/

Last week a few of us presented a Garden Court Chambers webinar on #mediation and #judicialreview - a specific area involving challenges against decisions by public bodies. It’s useful to know that mediation can add value even after a ruling on the legal point. #ULEZexpansion #london

⚡Catch up here! Our webinar '#JudicialReview & #Mediation: Do they go together?' is now available to watch on our YouTube channel 🔽 youtube.com/watch?v=VHHsI7…

Due to an error, the former link to our SEND report is no longer available. Please view the report here: ajc-justice.co.uk/wp-content/upl…

We are still looking to speak to people for this research project. It’s particularly important that we get the views of parents and families to understand what their experiences of mediation are as well as others involved in the process #bestinterests

Navigating conflict: The role of mediation in healthcare disputes. A new article in clinical ethics journal available open access with ⁦Margaret Doyle⁩ ⁦Katarzyna Ważyńska-Finck⁩ ⁦Reading Law School⁩ journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14…

Good to see Nuffield Council on Bioethics review on resolving disagreements about medical treatment of critically ill children. Much more #evidence needed on #mediation in this area - the focus of #research led by Jaime Lindsey at University of Reading. nuffieldbioethics.org/publications/d…

Developing administrative mediation - propositions from the 2nd International Congress. #mediation #publicadministration #conferencereport ⁦Administrative Justice Council⁩ ⁦University of Essex⁩ ⁦Civil Mediation Council (CMC)⁩ ⁦College of Mediators⁩ linkedin.com/posts/margaret…

NEW POST: What’s the law when a council fails to meet EHCP duties because of resource issues, but says it’s “trying its best”? Public law barrister, @AlicelIrving, explains a recent court finding specialneedsjungle.com/whats-law-when…

Important for all #SEND mediators to be aware of courts’ views on local authorities arguing that lack of resources or access to EPs means they can’t comply with their statutory duties on EHCPs. #education #childrenandyoungpeople #mediation #localgov #disabilities #resources