Education
Serenity Legal Services aim to provide bespoke legal advice and representation to the children and young people in our care who are facing a wide range of issues relating to the care system and educational settings. Our team can assist young people with issues such as:
• Admissions: supporting families to access the best possible education establishments for their child/ren – based on fairness and equality and not just a postcode lottery. Assisting with admissions where an exclusion has taken place and ensuring that additional services are available to promote integration/reintegration (including access to transport services);
• Exclusions: supporting young people and their families during the exclusion process from start to finish including appeals, Independent Review Panels and Governing Body Hearings. Ensuring they have ongoing and equal access to education during the exclusion and the opportunity to access mainstream and alternative provisions rather than being subjected to the ‘PRU and to prison pipeline’;
• Special Educational Needs/EHCP’s: ensuring children with complex and additional needs/disabilities are able to access the support they are entitled to. Providing guidance and advice to families with SEND, ensuring EHC (Education, Health and Care) assessments are completed in a timely manner and EHCP’s (Education, Health and Care Plans) are implemented. Offering additional support where appeals are necessary;
• Children Looked After (CLA) - formerly Looked After Children (LAC): representing children who are entitled to services and support from the local authority who are either ‘looked after’ or who should be eligible and identified as a ‘relevant’ or ‘eligible’ child;
• Care Leavers/16+: we will endeavour to support young adults who move into the 16+ bracket and those preparing to leave the care system, ensuring they have full access to the relevant entitlements and promote a smooth transition into adulthood;
• Additional Care Cases: assisting young people who were entitled to services they did not receive, those who should have been made subject to S20 or Care Orders, those who have attained the age of 18 and not receiving the relevant advice, guidance and support, judicial review cases and challenging local authorities to provide the necessary assistance they are entitled to;
