LA caseworker as key worker on single plan

Question: I have just been offered a Local Authority case worker as a key worker for my son's Single Plan. Would IPSEA consider a caseworker to be impartial in the planning/writing of a Single Plan ?

IPSEA’s answer: As we have said already on key workers and direct payments, IPSEA does not believe that key workers who are not independent of LAs will able to give robust advice to families and young people. In our experience LA caseworkers are well aware of their LA’s policies and criteria for statementing and resourcing provision, but not their legal basis. The law requires, for instance, Part 3 of the statement to be written without regard to resources or placement, but we frequently meet statements written the other way around, driven by what’s available rather than what the child needs, and often with a band or matrix position the only thing specified. It’s easy to see why LA caseworkers behave like that, especially when LA budgets are reducing, but it means parents should try to get independent knowledgeable advice. It will be useful to do the same checks on the single plan as on a statement, especially on its specification of provision.

However, please remember that even if you ensure that everything your child needs is specified, anything in a ‘single plan’ is not currently legally binding on an LA, and where there is any possibility that this may endanger a child’s provision, parents can opt for a statement.

Key Workers

Question: Where are the key workers, who are talked about helping parents budget and apportion their direct payments, going to come from? And, where is the funding to pay for them and their training going to come from? Has anyone given any definite information about this yet?

IPSEA’s answer: At the moment we have no idea! No information has been given yet to expand this idea. We would hope that some of the Pathfinder pilot projects will be testing this out but at this moment it is very difficult to get details about what aspects of the proposals are being trialled and how, or how sustainable and applicable their experiences will be once the Pathfinder money dries up. We are aware of parents in one Direct Payments pilot area who are taking their case to the SEND Tribunal as the LA is refusing to quantify therapies and to specify the experience and specialism of the LSA support and specialist teacher (and therefore appropriate pay) to be purchased through the direct payments. If this provision is clearly specified in Part 3 of their child's statement then the amount of direct payment will have to be increased to be able to meet the child's needs. At this moment the amount being offered would not purchase the time of professionals who had the qualifications and expertise to meet the child's needs adequately. 

IPSEA does not believe that key workers who are not independent of LAs will able to give robust advice to families and young people in this tricky area, and that they must understand the law.