Attending a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal can be a daunting experience. Challenges can come directly from the Panel, the family, their lawyers and/or Experts instructed on behalf of the child/family.

Course overview

The course familiarises delegates with the relevant legal framework for the appeals process for the First Tier Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal following the appeal lodged by the child/family against the local authority’s SEND decision.

This practical training course is designed to ensure that social workers and education professionals are familiar with the procedures involved when giving evidence before a SEND First Tier Tribunal. The course will equip delegates with the necessary skills to enable them to confidently present clear, objective and reliable evidence.

Key learning points

•  Understand the tribunal system
• Understand the procedures, order of events and roles of those in the adversarial system
• Be able to handle the techniques lawyers used in cross-examination
• How to prepare to give clear, honest and objective evidence
• How to make appropriate use of supporting evidence, documents and notes when giving evidence
• How to give confident and clear testimony under cross-examination