Hi Everyone,
Anyone have any experience or thoughts on the Local Authority policy of keeping young people ‘in-borough’. Is this a term specific to London, or is it a practice that happens elsewhere in the country. I know several people with severe LD, whose families have been told they must attend day-services or schools in their own borough (which in London may literally be the distance between their house and the house next door). There doesn’t seem to be any consideration of family choice, where is best able to meet the person’s needs or interests. I have heard various justifications like transport is too expensive (possibly understandable if you live somewhere more geographically spread out, like… Yorkshire say! Or, they will benefit from accessing ‘local’ activities - this I have interpreted as meaning it is better to go to the McDonalds or park nearest to your home rather than that there happens to be well-resourced activities appropriate to people with a variety of sensory and physical disabilities alongside their LD.
Do parents and carers have the right to refuse an in-borough service because they want their child to benefit from more appropriate services elsewhere?