The service, being launched next month, is aimed at parents of children with special educational needs who would like to resolve conflicts with their local authority over provision for their child. Issues that can become contentious include school placement, assessment and record of needs procedures, allocation of resources, respite care and exclusion from school.
The mediation project, set to be piloted in a number of local authorities around Scotland, is being run by Enquire, the national special educational needs information and advice service, which is based at Children in Scotland and funded by the Scottish Executive.
It aims to provide a formal way for parents or carers, schools and local authority departments or services to resolve differences. The process should also work to promote a positive relationship between them.
Morag Steven, Enquire's mediation project officer, said, 'Mediation of this kind is firmly embedded in the education system of the United States, and we hope that this ground-breaking approach will take off in Scotland and allow amicable decisions to be made between parents and local authorities.
'The benefits of using this kind of mediation have been proven: less stress, less use of the time and energy of the participants, and less expense for all concerned. As the mediation service is a complementary process, parents are still free to pursue their concerns through the current appeal system and local authority complaints procedures.But we hope our service will offer a more positive and creative approach to resolving disputes.'
Enquire is currently recruiting volunteer mediators and is looking for people with negotiating and problem-solving skills who have knowledge of national legislation and guidance and local authority policy in special educational needs. To ensure neutrality, Enquire is not selecting people to be mediators who are employed by a local authority or who are associated with advocacy agencies.
Parents, carers and anyone interested in the service can contact Morag Steven at Enquire on 0131 222 2422 (e-mail: msteven @childreninscotland.org.uk).
