I had to quit my job to fight for my autistic son after council refused to assess him – the system is failing parents

TEENAGER Blaine Terry was nine when his teachers noticed he showed classic signs of autism.

Blaine would line up his cars in order, colour coordinate his toys and run out of class if things became too noisy.

Already diagnosed with dyspraxia, which affects coordination, his mum Joanne, 47, of Solihull, Birmingham, was told there was a four-year waiting list for an NHS autism diagnosis.

So Joanne took him to the Cauldwell Children Charity in Staffordshire where he was given an official diagnosis in December 2021.

Concerned about how Blaine would get on at secondary school, Joanne wanted to get him an education, health and care plan which would set out in law the help he needed in the classroom.

But she was shocked when Solihull Council refused to assess Blaine, now 13.

Joanne said:  said: “With a heavy heart, but knowing I had to fight for Blaine I said I would take the council to a tribunal.

“Regardless of evidence from teachers saying Blaine was the most dyspraxic child they had seen, even after the council assessed him they refused to issue an EHCP.”

As the battle to get her son help raged on, single mum Joanne was forced to give up her job as a vehicle inspector as she geared up to take on the authority in court.

She said: “It took over my life because every bit of spare energy went into preparing for a tribunal hearing, knowing I would potentially face a council-funded barrister in court.”

In January, Joanne discovered she had won Blaine an EHCP without taking the case to a legal hearing.

Campaigners say Joanne and Blaine’s story is typical of the struggle parents face to get their kids the help they need.

New figures reveal councils wasted almost £60million in failed court disputes over special educational needs and disabilities.

A report, commissioned by the , also shows that 96 percent of SEND tribunal hearings in 2021 to 2022 were won by parents, carers and young people.

The same year saw 11,052 tribunals – up 29 per cent on the previous year.

Almost £60 million of public money was wasted – £46.2m by local councils and £13.6m costs to courts.

The cash could have funded 10,000 places in SEN units within mainstream schools, according to the study compiled by  Pro Bono economics.

The Disabled Children’s Partnership says the wait for support can impact pupils hugely and lead to issues such as developmental delay, deteriorating mental health and poor academic performance.

It says families are also hit by lost wages because the process is so time consuming they often have to take time off. 

The Sun has been running its Give It Back campaign to stop funding cuts.

Partnership manager Stephen Kingdom said: “It is deeply against the British sense of fair play to pit parents and carers of disabled children against highly-paid barristers funded by local authorities from money that comes out of the public purse.

“It’s particularly unfair when you understand that these tribunal cases – that can take years – are lost by local authorities in the vast majority of cases because parents know what is best for their children.

“We are calling for more information and advice for parents and young people, and for better training for local council staff so they make the right, lawful, decisions first time; and crucially, stronger accountability.

“We hear time and time again from parents about the fight they have to go through to get the support their children need.

“This report shows how much public money is being wasted in those battles – money that could instead be providing the education and therapies children need.”