Attending meetings policy
York SENDIASS is frequently asked to attend many meetings; we want to help as much as we can, but we cannot attend every meeting, sometimes because of capacity and sometimes because we have no clear role.
This Attending Meetings Policy explains when we can attend a meeting, how to ask us to attend, and what support we can offer if we cannot attend.
Find out:
- What counts as a meeting
- How to ask York SENDIASS to attend a meeting
- Involvement of other advocates or legal representatives
- Tribunal hearings and appeals
- Self‑advocacy at meetings
What counts as a meeting
This policy covers all requests for York SENDIASS to attend meetings, including:
- school meetings
- meetings with Local Authority staff
- mediation meetings
- tribunal hearings
- appeals
How to ask York SENDIASS to attend a meeting
- You must ask us at least 3 weeks before the meeting date, but we will consider exceptional situations.
- We will look at every request, but we can only attend if we have enough team members available.
- At busy times, we may not be able to attend; we will decide this case by case.
- We may offer to attend online (using audio/video software such as Teams or Zoom) if we cannot attend in person.
- We will only attend if we can make a helpful contribution, or if you cannot advocate for yourself or your child.
- If we cannot attend, we can still support you before the meeting and after the meeting, but we still need enough notice.
- We will only attend a meeting about a parent, carer, child or young person if you have agreed beforehand or given consent for York SENDIASS to work in partnership with other agencies.
Involvement of other advocates or legal representatives
If you have another SEND advocate or legal adviser involved with a certain issue:
- York SENDIASS will not support you with that specific issue, to avoid confusion and duplication.
- If a new, unrelated issue comes up, we can support you with that.
Tribunal hearings and appeals
- York SENDIASS Case Officers can attend a tribunal if they are available and if you cannot advocate for yourself or your child.
- York SENDIASS Case Officers can attend in the role of 'supporter' and occasionally as a 'representative'.
- You must agree their role with your York SENDIASS Case Officer before putting their name on any appeal form.
- If you ask for help after a tribunal has already been lodged and the hearing is soon, York SENDIASS will do our best to support you.
Self‑advocacy at meetings
Self‑advocacy means speaking up for yourself., to give your views and wishes so you can be part of conversations in a meeting or hearing.
The aim is always for joint partnership to be in place.
You are always the best person to speak for yourself or your child.
To help you share your views, wishes, and know your rights. York SENDIASS aims to give you:
- clear information and advice
- tools
- confidence