Closed petition Require LAs to reimburse education costs following tribunal/if they concede

Closed on 30 May 2024

The Government should introduce rules to require that a Local Authority (LA) must pay families back for the educational provisions they have self-funded, if those provisions were granted at tribunal or where the LA concede.

Families of children with SEND whose needs are not being met are frequently self-funding hundreds/thousands of pounds in educational provisions while waiting for tribunal or before the LA concede and begin funding these educational provisions.

If LAs had to pay back families, this would also discourage refusals to fund specific provisions or placements for any other reason other than that they’re confident a suitable education is already being funded by the LA.