Usually only professionals have a say about things like when pupils should be given statements of special educational needs, when schools should get additional resources and when to issue fixed-penalty notices and court proceedings to parents of trua
nting children.
But in an unique experiment in Portsmouth, parents are being invited to join the city council's Inclusion Support Panel, which helps the council to make these decisions.
The council is looking for 40 parents to attend four panel meetings and four training sessions a year.
Parents will receive a financial allowance for attending panel sessions, and after receiving training and being cleared by the Criminal Records Bureau, they will share the same voting rights as professionals on the panel such as teachers and educational psychologists.
The one-year pilot has been given £20,000 funding by the government's Lamb Inquiry.
Troy Hobbs, special educational needs manager for the council, said: 'This will place parents at the heart of the decision-making process.
'They'll have the same say as professionals.'
A launch event will take place on Monday from 6.30pm at The Guildhall, Portsmouth, which will be a great opportunity for anyone interested to find out more and get answers to any questions.
Interested parents will need to book a place by contacting Troy Hobbs on (023) 9284 1235 or e-mail troy.hobbs@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
The full article contains 258 words and appears in The News newspaper.
