You may have had a letter from the local authority informing you of a decision that they have made in relation to an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) and advising you to contact a mediation adviser if you disagree with their decision.

You can either:

• Request mediation. This will not affect your right to appeal to tribunal later, but normally leads to a quicker resolution.
• Request a mediation advice certificate and go straight to tribunal without attempting mediation.
• In certain circumstances, local or independent disagreement resolution processes may be more suitable.

In all cases, the first step in resolving your dispute is our free advice and information service. There is no charge for using our mediation service.

Our team of mediation advisers will take the time to listen to your situation and provide you with the information you need to decide what you want to do next. We will give you plenty of opportunity to ask any questions, advise you of any local disagreement resolution processes on offer, and explain what will happen if you decide to mediate. We provide independent and impartial mediation and disagreement resolution services to help resolve your dispute with the local authority.

What you decide to do next is your choice.

You may have concerns about the support for your, or your child's, special educational needs or disability, but not have a formal right of appeal. Your concerns may involve education, health, or social care, and relate to the kind of provision being made or the way it is being carried out.

In these circumstances you can request disagreement resolution, which is a similar process to mediation. The main difference is that the other parties have to agree to take part and may decide not to. We would make this request on your behalf and give you information about other options available if your request was refused.