Testimonials

"Taking the LA to tribunal is a daunting prospect so having someone with Fiona’s expertise and knowledge to help navigate the process was invaluable.  From completely rewriting our daughter’s EHCP so that it accurately addresses her needs and necessary provisions for the first time in 7 years, to dealing with a LA that consistently disregarded process and professionalism, and expertly arguing our case at tribunal, Fiona was exceptional, ultimately helping us to achieve the best possible outcome and securing a bright future for our daughter.  I would not hesitate to recommend her and her team."

"Hi Jane, 

I just wanted to drop you a quick email to say for the first time in MANY YEARS it was so amazing to speak to someone yesterday who 1, had read my son’s information, 2, was so knowledgeable and understanding 3, could actually give me some advice and knew more than me (hope that doesn’t sound conceited!). We will 100% be in touch as the paperwork progresses. I was so very impressed with Michaela and look forward to her email.

Anonymous"

 

"Fiona was an absolute lifesaver during the process of securing my son's EHCP. Her dedication, expertise, and genuine care made a world of difference. She navigated the complex system with ease, ensuring that every detail was perfectly in place. Fiona's support and guidance were invaluable to us, and the tireless efforts of her and her team helped secure a bright future for my son. I can't thank her enough for her exceptional advocacy and support throughout this journey."

 

"Dear Fiona,  

I would like to formally thank you and your team at The Advocacy and Mediation Partnership for acting on our behalf for the last two years.  You were initially highly recommended to me, and I can say without any hesitation that your excellent reputation for professional advocacy is very much deserved. You have shown this throughout our dealings from helping us to draft our initial parent Request to Assess to preparing the appeal paperwork and representing us at the recent SEND tribunal appealing sections B and F and I of our son’s EHCP.  

With the LA having already conceded in part, prior to the tribunal, I am confident that we will have achieved an EOTAS/EOTISC package that meets our son’s needs – and this will be because of your advocacy, experience, and extensive knowledge of SEND education law. I really don’t think I could have navigated this highly complex process without your help and I am certain that it is your support that has enabled me to carry on fighting for the education provision our son desperately needs. 

I have always found your team to be responsive, thorough, knowledgeable, professional and to have excellent attention to detail.  This is in stark contrast to our LA, the last two years communicating has been extremely challenging for me. You and your team at The Advocacy and Mediation Partnership have proactively driven matters forward avoiding delay wherever possible. And it is this approach that has significantly reduced the stress caused to us, at a time when we were already under enormous stress with a very poorly child. For this, we will always be extremely grateful to you.  

I will continue to recommend you and The Advocacy and Mediation Partnership to other families in need of expert advocacy services. I have a feeling this may not be the last time we need you but I am comforted that we are in very safe hands if we do! 

Many Thanks 

Becky Thomas"

 

"I am still not believing my eyes, could not stop crying with happiness. You all made our childs future secured. What a great team in guiding, advising, and driving us to success. This is not a small win. We are emotionally overwhelmed with joy. 

Millions of thanks to all. Great job"

Anonymous

 

"Dear Michaela and all

I cannot thank you enough for this outcome. We went to visit the new secondary school today and wow! Its stunning. The facilities are fantastic, the staff are lovely and it’s a perfect fit for our son. I feel like we have just won the lottery. Thank you. Our son is absolutely thrilled to have a school and he cannot wait to start. He will be doing a few days beforehand to get him ready. The best is that he will stay there until he is 19. What a relief for us all, and now I can get back to work.

You were all so knowledgeable, professional and calm during this process and you delivered the best outcome.

Thank you"

 

"Fiona came highly recommended by another parent who had gone through the tribunal process. Fiona handled all the tribunal documentation with exceptional precision and quality, significantly alleviating the stress and pressure on our part. As a result of the compelling evidence Fiona presented on our behalf, the local authority ultimately agreed to the placement and provisions required.

Without Fiona's invaluable assistance, we would not have secured the appropriate educational setting and the comprehensive provisions outlined in section F of our son's EHCP to address his complex learning needs. This has provided our son with the opportunities he needs to realize his full potential and lead a fulfilling and happy life. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Fiona and her team for their unwavering support, expert advice, and exceptional work throughout our son's appeal.

The original sections B and F of our son's EHCP were inadequately written, characterized by vagueness and confusion, failing to accurately identify our son's needs and the necessary provisions in section F. After Fiona's meticulous reworking of these sections, they now accurately reflect our son's challenges and the provisions required as per professional reports. We are immensely thankful to Fiona and her team for their dedication and expertise."

Anonymous

 

"Thank you, Fiona, for all your help and expertise.

Following a process of attrition of nearly two years with the Local Authority through a Needs Assessment appeal and the beginnings of a Section B, F and I EHCP appeal, we turned to Fiona following a personal recommendation. Fiona very quickly grasped the essence of the case. She drafted two important submissions to the Tribunal that explained the parental position and argued our case for our choice of placement. These were clear, concise and provided a legally focussed argument to support our case. Fiona also re-drafted a long and confusing EHCP to improve the clarity of Section B and to better quantify and specify the provision in Section F.

As a result of Fiona's support, the LA conceded, agreeing to our choice of placement as well as most points within the EHCP and we were able to settle our SEN appeal without having to resort to a Tribunal hearing. Fiona therefore saved us a significant amount of time and stress and enabled our child to get access to the support that they need in order to continue their education. 

Fiona's invoice for the work carried out was very reasonable and certainly worth every penny."

Anonymous

"I just wanted to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all the support, advice and encouragement that you gave us in the past months. Thank you for your patience and your expert advice.

Our son is very happy at his new school. He is very pleased with his teacher and happy with his class friends. He is very proud to be travelling to school independently by taxi with three other children. It is very early days but, so far, he is having a ‘fabulous’ time (in his own words).

This means so much to us and it will probably change the course of his life.
It would have not been possible without you; thank you!"

Anonymous

"Fiona and her Team were outstanding and we are very grateful for their highly responsive and expert guidance. 

In addition to their quality of work, having them on our side during such a stressful and uncertain time made a huge difference to us personally."
Anonymous

 

“We sought the services of Fiona Slomovic because her name came up repeatedly  when we asked for recommendations for someone to advocate on behalf of our son in a dispute with our LA over their finalised statement and to represent him at Tribunal if negotiations broke down. 

Our LA cut all ABA support from our sons EHCP with no assessment or justification for doing so, leaving us desperate and struggling to keep his education and aspirations post 18 going.

It proved to be the best decision we could have made to fight a decision that left us desperate to secure a future for our son.

We hadn’t realised how anxious and stressed we were about things until we spoke to Fiona and she had sent an initial proposal to the LA. It was incredibly thorough, well written and most importantly evidenced with examples of other cases throughout. It finally brought us a sense of some calm and a growing confidence in the hope that we would be successful.

Fiona guided us and our witnesses through every stage of the process and was able to build a strong case while also preparing us for the case the LA’s defence might mount.  

She kept us hopeful and optimistic but also grounded by the fact that the judgement might not necessarily go our way so we were prepared for this too. 

The wealth of experience Fiona has and her successful track record in these matters really comes through in the advice she is able to give to you.  

 

Thanks to Fiona the judgement was more then we could have hoped for and has secured an appropriate programme of education and support for our son.

We are not entirely confident that our son would have won his case had it not been for Fiona.

We will be forever grateful to her and would recommend her wholeheartedly to any family facing similar battles.

Mr & Mrs F"

"Our son was 4 when we found Fiona, we had successfully obtained an EHCP for him, however it did not reflect his needs or the advice of the professionals who had observed him and the local authority named a mainstream primary school that could not meet his needs. Nothing we did many any difference, including engaging solicitors who charged over a thousand pounds to write one letter than contained inaccuracies. Fiona had a remarkably reasonable and transparent fee system and everyone recommended her so we contacted her and were lucky enough to engage her. (As you’d imagine, she is in demand.) Fiona submitted all of the tribunal paperwork and expertly negotiated for amendments to the EHCP which reflected our son’s needs and aligned them with the school of our choice; the local authority settled in early summer. The EHCP was excellent because of Fiona and we later relied upon it to ensure that our son could receive the help he needed in his setting, thus preventing a managed move. Our son has had 7 happy years in his primary school because of Fiona and her team. He has also passed his SATs, amongst other achievements. In autumn last year we engaged Fiona in case we were not allocated a special school, which was our son’s preference. Fiona already knew the professionals we had engaged to observe him from working with them on previous cases and worked brilliantly with them. When the local authority again nominated a school that could not meet our son’s needs, Fiona worked with them. She submitted tribunal paperwork for us, again making the amendments needed and worked hard to settle. She represented us in the tribunal (the council were ready to settle before the tribunal but due to a technicality this was not possible so we needed a consent order.) Once again we received the outcome we hoped for. It was more complex than the first time around and we knew we had a much lower chance of success but somehow Fiona did succeed. We are so grateful to Fiona and her team. Fiona does not charge enough for her services. She strives to avoid unnecessary costs. Her knowledge of the landscape of special needs, local authorities and the law is excellent. We feel that Fiona’s ability to work in collaboration with us, with local authorities and with schools and professionals is a big part of her success. She really cares about families and outcomes and understands our journey as parents from the inside out. She has been incredibly patient with us. We have already recommended Fiona to friends in a similar situation who have also had positive outcomes. We have benefitted from Fiona, Helen and Jane’s expertise over an 8 year period and it’s fair to say that it has changed our lives.

Anonymous"

 

"We have been so impressed with Vickie Kottler and Advocacy & Mediation services.  We instructed her regarding a Tribunal appeal.  Vickie took time to understand our situation at the outset.  She gave us clear advice but was empathetic to our circumstances.  She is an excellent advocate and knew strategically when to apply pressure but in a polite and effective way.  We achieved the right result for our family and Vickie was a key part of this.

Anonymous"

"Fiona, thank you once again for all your help with getting an education for our daughter. 

The impact of being not only back in school, but the right school is huge. 

She is making huge strides and we now can begin to have hope that she can lead a full and happy life. 

Thank you

Anonymous"

 

"Dear Fiona, 

I just want to thank you and your incredible team from the bottom of my heart for all the amazing work that you have done.

This year has been by far one of the hardest years of my life and you were my only light. It felt like I had to face mountains but knowing that I had you by my side kept me going. I will spread your name near and far for anyone who needs help. 

There are truly no words to show my gratitude. Your work changes people's life. I wish you nothing but the very best every day of your life as you continue to fight the good fight for Kids with SEN.  

Kindest regards,
Anonymous"

 

"You have been amazing, thank you so much for all your help and support. Your whole team have been fabulous so thanks to them too. I thought I had a reasonable understanding of the SEN process and could manage the Tribunal unsupported. As things became more difficult with the LA I totally lost my confidence at my ability to manage the Tribunal. Even though you joined our process at a late stage you quickly understood the case and managed it with great efficiency. Having your expertise has saved hours of work and J now has the necessary provision and placement.

 Thanks again

Anonymous"

 

"We have been working with Vickie for the passed two years. She has managed to secure our son with the provision he needed without the need for a stressful tribunal. From helping us request an EHC assessment to receiving support in a mainstream high school which has been an uphill battle. Through the sweat and tears, Vickie would always make time for us and listen to our concerns and advise us accordingly, even with issues not relating directly to our case. I am so glad I made contact with advocacy and mediation two years ago as our story would have been very different. We are forever indebted to you! Thanks a million ! RM"

 

"Vickie, there are no words. You got stuck right in, taking on this case like it was for your own child. Despite coming into this at the very last minute, you managed to turn the tide with your attention to detail and ability to direct and pull together all our professionals and evidence so effortlessly. We couldn't have done this without you and are so thankful we found you.

You all are a true credit to your profession and a God send for families like ours. We all are only as strong as the people around us, and its because of you all, we had the result we had today. We hope the tribunal decide to everything in our favour, but there was no more we could have asked you for.

With heartfelt thanks and best wishes. NS"

 

"I am delighted to be writing a review for the amazing successful appeal process which was managed by Vickie Kottler with incredible care and diligence. I would like to share my thoughts from the moment we were recommended Advocacy & Mediation. Everyone we’d spoken with, had such positive comments for Fiona, and when our initial call was set up with Vickie, we were unsure who would be assigned our daughters case but we had our fingers crossed that it would be Fiona as we had heard so much about her. When we met Vickie on the video call we immediately realised that she was incredibly competent and knew that it would be a blessing to be assigned Vickie. Fortunately, we did get assigned Vickie. The appeal document she prepared, I’d read every word with interest, it’s possibly the best appeal document we could have expected. Very comprehensive, and accurate. Vickie had clearly taken a lot of time to go through the reports we had sent her (SALT, OT, Ed Psych, School) as she had identified all the reasons for the appeal. Our council were not the fastest to respond and left everything to the last minute and kicked the can down the road. Vickie never got phased by this and continued to put pressure in exactly the way it was needed. It took a while due to the way our council works and constant absences of council case workers, often lack of understanding from those covering, etc. But the eventual result we got was just everything that we could have asked for. We got a perfectly updated EHCP, the school, the LSA support, the therapies, and transport all included. The costs of engaging Advocacy Mediation and an Ed Psych and a SALT were totally worth it as our daughter now has 5 years at this school all funded and fully supported with a very up to date EHCP. Advocacy Mediation’s charges were the most reasonable out of all as their work was the most intense. I can’t recommend Vickie enough, if you approach this company and are assigned Vickie then it’s a blessing. Thank you to all the staff at Advocacy Mediation, without you a large number of SEN children would never get allocated the resources and get the places that they should be entitled to. And to Vickie, very sincere appreciation from the **** family."

 

"You very kindly helped us get our son into our preferred school last year. I just wanted to let you know that he is doing so well and he is so very happy, making great progress and was happy and settled from day one.

I absolutely recommend you to everyone, not that you need it, as your reputation is so strong, but we honestly cannot thank you enough for helping us get our son in the right place for him.

I have been meaning to let you know of his successful placement since he started last September and to thank you, I am sorry for the delay.

You and your colleagues help so many children achieve their true potential, and in a world where there is still so little help and resources to help navigate the SEN system, it is reassuring to know that there is a credible association that will help fight for our children’s right to education, to suit their individual needs."

Mrs C

 

"We had an appeal with many challenges. We wanted to move our daughter to a specialist residential school, and then late in the day decided on a day school, but still wanted some of the extended hours we would have had in a residential provision. This raised some really novel issues. Throughout the preparation and lead up to the hearing, Fiona was fully engaged and often worked late at night and weekends. At the hearing, she was outstanding. I have a legal background and over the years, I have attended many hearings of one kind or another, so this is genuine admiration. She was in full control of the facts and process, focused and very effective. We are so glad to have found her and very grateful for everything she did for us, and for the very positive outcome she achieved for our daughter."

Anonymous

 

"Dear Fiona,

 Huge thanks for your input and support on Friday.

 You were brilliant and presented our case superbly. Your professional approach, knowledge, experience and attention to detail stood out.

 You had the facts of the case on your finger tips and your cross examination of the LA's witnesses was outstanding. I was amazed at your memory in promptly highlighting any flaws and contradictions in their arguments!

 I know this has required significant preparation on your side and we are very grateful to you and your team for the input and support.

 Keeping our fingers crossed and hoping our son gets the educational provision he needs to be able to fulfil his potential"

 

"Dear Fiona

I just wanted to thank you and your team for helping us to achieve full time ABA for our son. I can’t put into words the difference it will make to his life chances. We wouldn’t have been able to reach agreement without your skill, expertise and dedication to children like him- thank you so much."

Anonymous

 

"Going through the tribunal process was a very emotionally draining and stressful experience and I am so glad that we had Fiona on our side to help guide and support us each step of the way. From the very offset, she advised us on the process and key dates, she helped us find professional witnesses, she prepared all the necessary paperwork and worked with us closely to articulate our case. She has a knack of absorbing huge amounts of information and being able to distill it into key points very quickly. She represented us at the tribunal hearing and her vast experience shone though in how she dealt with the judge, panel members and witnesses. She was so impressive in her ability to present our case thoroughly and succinctly. We were delighted to hear recently that we had a positive outcome from the hearing and we definitely have Fiona to thank for securing our son’s future school placement. I have enjoyed working with Fiona immensely, she is professional and efficient with a direct and honest manner which I very much appreciated. I cannot recommend her highly enough."

Anonymous

 

"We have been on a quite a journey to secure the right education for our son and thankfully have had Fiona with us every step of the way.

Our first tribunal resulted in securing ABA provision within a mainstream school together with a home programme. 

Most recently, as a result of our second tribunal, Fiona secured a specialist placement at an ABA school, which will be absolutely life changing for our son and for us as a family. I cannot thank Fiona and her team enough.

With so many twists and turns during the course of our appeal, i would have been completely out of my depth had i been managing this alone, but as always, Fiona remained completely unphased, and always had everything covered. 

Going through this process can be incredibly daunting but Fiona’s professionalism, dedication and expertise ensures that you always feel in control and confident that you are moving forward with the best case possible. 

Our heartfelt thanks, it was an absolute pleasure to have Fiona with us, and will forever highly recommend any parent/carer to make contact with Fiona and her team when requiring advocacy and medication services."

DH

 

"Dear Fiona, 

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for the support you gave us in securing our sons school placement. Prior to contacting you, our local authority could not find a suitable school for our son (although acknowledged a special school was required). We feared being sent far and wide to access some kind of educational setting. 

We felt passionate that our sons needs could be met in the special school closest to us although they said they were full. 

I was recommended to come to you by a friend of the family - this has to be the best advise I have been given. As soon as I spoke to you, I felt you really wanted to help us and my anxiety lifted almost immediately. 

Within weeks our case was resolved with the desired outcome. We will always be grateful to you and the instrumental part you played in giving our son the best opportunity to thrive in life in the correct setting. 

I feel your team are on a mission to really get the best outcomes for the children you assist.  I have since recommended you to other families in similar predicaments and I would not hesitate to come to you again should I need to.

Best Wishes"
A

 

"We needed advice and support on our son’s tribunal appeal for secondary placement.  We turned to Fiona of Senior Partners, The Advocacy and Mediation Partnership.  She was excellent. She understood exactly the issues we raised and as importantly the sensitivities and emotional issues that exist within this type of case.  Fiona was calm and non-judgemental, even when I often displayed frustration and impatience, Fiona was considerate, sensitive, understanding, and professional. She laid out some very clear advice and showed us a way forward that lifted our gloom and worries as much as possible.  Fiona was also instrumental of winning out sons’ case and we are so very grateful. We highly recommend Fiona of Senior Partners, The Advocacy and Mediation Partnership"

DS
Consultant/Locum Property Lawyer

 

"Dear Fiona,"

I wanted to get in touch to say that we have just gone through our Annual Review at the specialist placement that our daughter started at in September 2020.  We got in touch with the Advocacy and Mediation Service following being effectively ignored by the LA, despite getting to complaint stage 2, and the deadline for amending an EHCP passing the statutory 20-week deadline.  When speaking to the team, it was so refreshing to feel that I was being listened to about my child and about her needs. 

At each step of the way, Vickie involved me in the decisions that had to be made and kept me up to date.  It is my sincere belief that having the assistance of Vickie meant that I was able to remain focused; because as a parent you have no way of not taking this situation personally, no matter if everyone who has experienced this, tells you that your LA treats everyone the same way – when it is the first time you have been treated so indifferently and there is no consideration for your child’s future you can’t help but feel you are alone.

Vickie went above and beyond in her work on our appeal. The closer we got to the hearing date; I am sure Vickie did not sleep that much as it seemed she was always working on the bundle. We exchanged emails at regular intervals, over a Bank Holiday weekend as the tribunal was on a Tuesday after the Working Document was sent late on the preceding Friday!

Vickie really understood our standpoint, she was always objective and was considerately and compassionately able to tell me when something was not a good idea and not worth pursuing. Vickie knew where I would concede and where I would not.  Vickie got all our witnesses to work together and had pre meetings ensuring that we were all on the same page i.e., committed to securing the specialist placement that we were appealing for.

I had the utmost confidence in Vickie and although I veered from super confident to the other extreme of “oh no, what if the LA win?” Vickie was unwavering and left no stone unturned; Vickie was very willing to have feedback and used my thoughts about our child to really know and understand our daughters’ strengths and weaknesses - she was going to be ready for any question or argument proposed to her as our representative at the Tribunal hearing.  

I know Vickie involved you Fiona and it was obvious that there is a strong team across the service, whose efforts combined meant that excellent support was given to us.

I am so grateful to the parent whose advice I took to contact yourselves and after the going through the appeal process, what we really wanted to say is that we are so grateful for having Vickie work so collaboratively with us and we are thrilled to share with you that our daughter has, with integrated therapies, made progress across all the broad areas in her EHCP.  

Thank you, so much, to everyone at Advocacy and Mediation Service."

Anonymous

 

"To Dear Fiona,

I would like to extend to you and your team the utmost gratitude, from my family to yours.

Fiona, the unwavering support you have given my children my husband and I over the last year has been incredible. I feel so blessed to have had you by my side throughout thick and thin.

You know all too well we have been to hell and back, but throughout this journey, with your support, we have felt so understood - really heard - for the first time ever. You have fought valiantly to help secure the best future for my precious children- I can never truly express my thanks - I can never truly repay you. I am immensely grateful, and your efforts will undoubtedly stretch further than you or I could ever dare to imagine.

I simply can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us - we appreciate you so very much; every sentence you have sensitively typed, every call you’ve confidently made, every word you have stood up and bravely said. I truly don’t know what we would’ve done without you.

If ever you need a testimonial, please come to me.

Fiona, you are fantastic and a wonderful person. Your services have been phenomenal; you have gone above and beyond time and again, and I wish you all the very best for the future. I shall miss talking to you so much and seeing your lovely face!

If we ever require services such as yours again, you will be the first person we call upon, you can be sure of that.

With our love and our very best wishes"

Anonymous

 

"We wanted to take the time to say a massive thank you to AMC, and especially to Vickie for magnificently supporting us, and for always going above and beyond for our child. She really has been a godsend for us.

 Through Vickie, we managed to successfully secure the appropriate specialist placement and all of the SEN provisions needed, which would not have been possible without her. From day one, Vickie's work ethic, determination and knowledge of SEN and DD law was truly outstanding.

 

 We also want to thank her for always being there for us and for the extra help and support she gave during these very difficult and challenging times, which was greatly appreciated and means more than we can say. 

 In brief, we want to sincerely thank Vickie for all the fantastic value she provided us with, always being a resource and sounding board and for kindly answering all of our many questions, as well as for her complete honesty, integrity and transparency, and for this we owe her a huge debt of gratitude. Vickie and her colleagues really are making a positive difference to young people’s lives every single day."

S

"What’s brilliant about this team is their in-depth understanding of both special needs and how each section of the law can be argued to support a case for the provision your child needs. However well-read or well-informed we were, we would not have been able to make the legal arguments that Fiona and her team can, which is what ultimately got our child the provision and support she so desperately needed."

C & R

 

Any family with a disabled child knows what a struggle it is to access Disability Facilities Grants, appropriate education and care for that child, even though it is their legal right. Having fought on behalf of my grandson for 3 years to obtain a DFG, his mother, my daughter, told me that getting him into the right school was well within my ability. The Admissions Officer at our preferred school said “You seem to have a good understanding of what is required and could do it”. No, this was too important for my grandsons’ development to take a chance. In my view, the LA know from the quality of the paperwork submitted whether they are confronted by a parent doing their best or a professional who is going to give them a hard fight and react accordingly..

I wanted an Advocate with a thorough understanding of our preferred schools offering and, since our LA does not recognise Mediation, someone with a good track record when confronted by a Tribunal. Fiona ticked all the boxes. Her objective is to negotiate a satisfactory resolution without the need for a Hearing. Knowing the intransigence of our LA, ’good luck with that, I thought. Fiona’s work ethic is incredible, our earliest Email from her was 5.36 am before she left for a Tribunal Hearing. Always ready to explain the next steps with us if required, she set out her stall with both the LA and Social Services and kept us in the loop throughout.

Very active on my grandsons’ behalf at the annual review meetings re his treatment at school (The E) in my ignorance, I had not paid much attention to the HCP aspect at home. Fiona opened our eyes to the package of support available to my daughter to care for her son at home.

Fiona not only negotiated a placement at our preferred school but also a significant increase in the care package at home all without the stress that attendance at a tribunal would have placed on my daughter. Her knowledge of the law and the process is second to none and I have no hesitation in recommending her to any parent trying to do the best they can for their child.

One final point, you don’t only get Fiona. Her back office team of Jane and Helen are extremely efficient and pleasant to deal with and whisper it quietly, I thought her fee was extremely reasonable and I would happily have paid double for the result she achieved.

Geoff Barker

 

"I’m not sure where to start – I’m still in shock, as the battle I came prepared to fight, never happened, because you took care of everything – my son was spared the stress of going into the tribunal room and we got everything we wanted – I’m just in awe of your skill, confidence and knowledge of every aspect of ‘the system’.

I can’t thank you enough – I really can’t – it was so important to us that my son had the opportunity that the school could offer him – he has worked SO hard for his GCSE’s and deserved the chance to make his aspirations a reality.

You have worked incredibly hard on my son's case and it’s so easy to see that you genuinely want the very best for your young clients.

We shall let you know how his transition week goes and the results of his GCSE’s.

Thank you again; sincerely thank you.

Best Wishes"

 

"Fantastic.... and more! We can not thank Fiona and her team enough for the excellent service and support that they gave us during our appeal.   Fiona's knowledge of SEN legislation and her professionalism was excellent, she had a good rapport with all parties involved and was an extremely valuable Advocate on our behalf at Tribunal. Fiona worked collaboratively with us, advising and guiding us through the process. We found that corresponding with Fiona and her team by email to pre arrange appointments for telephone / conference calls to talk through our appeal case worked excellently for us and Fiona never disappointed... not even at weekends!  We felt that Fiona truly wanted what was best for our daughter and worked tirelessly to help us and our daughter successfully achieve the post 18 education placement that she needed in order to meet her aspirations! Thank you so much for all of your help and support, we are truly grateful and are so very glad that we found you! What a gem! We have already given your details to others.....why go to a Solicitor when you can go to Fiona!' :)"

 

 

Mr & Mrs W

 

Fiona has been so helpful we could not thank her enough. We used her services in 2013 when we decided to get a statement for our daughter to enter an independent specialised speech and language school. Her expertise of the process and her knowledge of the local Borough has been extremely supportive.

4 years later we had to choose a secondary school for our daughter and when we decided on our school and College, the choice of Fiona Slomovic was obvious. She guided us through the whole process until the hearing ,which we settled amazingly one week before.

Without her we would not have been able to achieve a similar outcome.

 Anonymous

I would recommend without any doubt her services and her team (Helen and Jane) to anyone who has a busy schedule and is looking for a result in a very efficient and professional manner.

 

 

"The whole process of appeal and going to tribunal is very complicated and without Fiona and her team's support we would not have stood a chance. Our daughter is now settled into college and it is the best thing that has happened to her.

 

We cannot thank or recommend Fiona enough."

 

Anonymous

 

"Fiona Slomovic understood our daughter and her needs, she was tenacious and persistent, and not fazed in the face of challenges thrown by the other side. Fiona clearly knows the law, worked extremely hard behind the scenes ,she was not daunted by any challenging situations with a local authority that did not attend mediation and were adamant that the local state provision would meet our daughter’s needs, but Fiona successfully won, secured our school provision and transport. We truly believe and feel that was only achievable by Fiona and her dedicated team. This provision will enable our daughter to flourish , she has settled so well in school and is happy."

 

Anonymous

 

 “We faced a huge uphill battle with our local authority when our autistic son left primary school, both to obtain an ECHP that actually reflected and supported his many needs and also to secure a placement in a specialist secondary school for children that could provide him with the best chance of succeeding socially and academically. Fiona’s help was vital, guiding us through the complicated processes and protocols, advising on the assessments that would be needed to win our legal battle, and pushing a hostile and evasive Local Authority every step of the way. Her amazing efforts secured a full settlement before the case reached court, and have ensured our child now has the best possible chance for a happy and successful future. We cannot thank Fiona and her team enough."

 

Anonymous

 

"We had been around the houses with our first lawyer who advised us extremely badly and expensively. 

 

Fiona was a breath of fresh air. She grasped our situation immediately and proposed a sensible, workable, achievable strategy for our daughter without any fuss that answered all our concerns. Her costs were incredibly reasonable. She got us the best possible result we could hope for and we could not be more grateful. It's lovely to have her on our side and I would recommend her to anyone."

 

Anonymous

 

 

Dear Fiona

Thank you so much for all your help in supporting our son's EHCP, school and his ABA support. We're eternally grateful for all of your help! You have given him an opportunity to reach his full potential!

Anonymous

 

Dear Fiona

We are truly grateful for your kind help and assistance in supporting our son's placement at school plus his additional support. We realise how fortunate we are to get this funding and we are very appreciative of your help and assistance in doing so.

We feel that he will be properly supported at school and, along with our help and guidance, have every opportunity to reach his potential and hopefully have a successful and happy future ahead.

With grateful thanks and kind regards

Anonymous

I just wanted to say a massive thank you for supporting us through this whole tribunal process if I hadn't have passed things over to you I think I would have no hair left ! 

You was absolutely amazing and I can't stop telling everyone how brilliant you truly are WOW wow wow you blew me away and certainly gave the other side a run for there money . Fantastic thank you so much can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate everything you did no matter what the outcome you gave it everything and more 

And for that we will always be truly grateful and we know we did everything in our power to get our daughter the school she so wants 

Mr and Mrs A 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a former lawyer, I was extremely dismayed and frustrated with the solicitors, barristers and legal advisors I met with in regards to my child’s case. They all talked about the legislation and the processes, without properly explaining how it applied in our particular situation. I struggled to follow a lot of what they said and my attempts to better understand what was going on only resulted in racking up more fees in calls, letters and emails that were too convoluted to understand, or too vague to be of any use.

Fiona was quite simply a breath of fresh air. She was practical and straight talking. She is extremely knowledgeable, not just about the law and processes, but also importantly about the particular nuances of the authority we were dealing with and the persons within it. ,This is particularly important when approaches can vary according to the authority you are dealing with as well as the point in time at which you are making your case. 

It was because of Fiona that we were able to avoid tribunal. It was because of Fiona that we were able to obtain a package far in excess of what were might have hoped for. It was because of Fiona that we didn’t waste money on unnecessary legal fees; her fees were a fraction of the costs of what we might otherwise have paid.

As someone who did their research on legal advisors and met with several of the supposedly best recommended persons, I can wholeheartedly say that not one of them came close to Fiona in terms of advice, cost or results.

Anonymous

I just wanted to say a massive thank you for supporting us through this whole tribunal if I hadn't passed things over to you I think I would have no hair left!

You were absolutely amazing and I can't stop telling everyone how brilliant you truly are WOW wow wow you blew me away and certainly gave the other side a run for their money. Fantastic thank you so much can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate everything you did no matter what the outcome, you gave it everything and more.

And for that we will always be truly grateful and we know we did everything in our power to get our daughter the school she so wants.

Thank you again.

Mr & Mrs A

Our goal was simple.  We wanted to fight to get our son the best education and the best support.  He was struggling and was isolated in a special school, his behaviour had deteriorated and he was regressing in his lessons.  We were desperate.

We had to get him more support and the only way we could do it was to get legal advice and to appeal against the EHCP and to change school.   After using a solicitor who just seemed interested in making money out of us and not interested in answering the phone or emails, we were recommended Fiona Slomovic and it was the best thing we did.  Fiona was amazing!   Our case was not simple but she was determined and managed to get us everything we had hoped for. She worked hard and answered emails and it really felt like she was genuinely on our side and understood.  She didn’t “hand hold” but when we needed her she was there. 

Our son is now in an amazing school and has fantastic support and above all he now has a smile on his face.

I would highly recommend Fiona to other parents who are struggling to get the support that their children deserve.

Thanks Fiona.

Mrs C 

We won our EHC Plan Tribunal against the might of a top county council barrister and an "outstanding" special school, thanks to Fiona Slomovic and colleagues at Advocacy and Mediation Ltd.

An early briefing with Fiona, inspired me to proactively gather documented evidence of my son's profound needs. Most of that was additional to inadequate county council assessments. She also recommended engaging an independent Educational Psychologist, which was helpful.

Whilst I gathered the evidence, Fiona's staff organised reams of paperwork into a format useful for the tribunal.

We were nervous and aprehensive about our 'court' appearance but Fiona guided us through it and the judge and his two education experts were helpful and welcoming. For the first time, for more than a year, we felt listened to - in direct contrast to a combattive and distinctly unhelpful local authority.

The outcome we wanted (for an Applied Behavioural Analysis school) was much more expensive and specialised than the LA proposal of our son returning to the special school that had failed him. However, the strength of evidence that I had gathered, combined with Fiona's skilled marshalling of facts and 'killer' questions, destroyed anything that the LA case could muster. 

Our son is now attending the school that is totally appropriate to his needs, with transport.

If you have a complex case and are heading towards an EHCP tribunal, please consider this specialised service, rather than your local solicitor who may have limited SEND experience. Fiona, combines a personal and professional understanding of autism and other disability issues, together with a daily experience of advocating for families like ours - why would you want to look elsewhere?

Mr W

I was very impressed with the work done by Fiona on my daughter’s appeal. We were appealing for an out of county independent ASD school. Fiona grasped very quickly what were the main issues in the case and really helped to steer us the right direction, making sure that the evidence we submitted was appropriate. She is very straight forward and honest in the way she dealt with the case and I felt that I could trust her to make the right decisions and liked the way she considered both the strengths and weaknesses of our case. She is very professional in her approach and made sure that the paper work was in perfect order. She managed to get lots of provision agreed in advance of the hearing by negotiating with the LA and getting the working document in good order.  She was excellent on the day of the tribunal, negotiating with the LA representative and it was a massive relief to have someone else taking charge of the situation. We achieved a successful outcome and I would recommend her unreservedly. 

Ms C 

We approached Fiona when we received a Final Plan from our LA. The EHCP was completely against our thoughts and our child’s interests. We were in a situation where no one was ready to listen to our views.

On speaking to Fiona for the first time over phone, we felt so comforted and she sounded very optimistic.

It was a tough case and Fiona handled it so well. She communicated to our LA and the tribunal so well. She always made sure that right message was passed on to everyone involved.

Hearing Day is still unforgettable and we get goose bumps when  we recall it! ‘Amazing’ is just an ordinary word to describe how well she orchestrated our whole case. She hooked the right points and brought out all the truth and vital information in front of the judges panel. We literally enjoyed the way she questioned the LA witnesses and we sat like awestruck spectators. She appeared as an angel who was sent to change our child’s destiny! The outcome of our hearing was very positive!

She is extremely professional, honest and down to earth. She has profound knowledge in what she is doing. I still cannot forget the much needed advice she gave us during crucial times in our child’s case.

It was because of Fiona, our son now goes to a good school with the right support and we have started to see positive results. Thanks to her wonderful team, especially Jane and Helen for all their support!

I have already recommended Fiona to a number of families and will continue doing it as she is a human who offers such a service to parents who are undergoing extreme stress to get right support for their children.

Mr and Mrs H 

We wanted to thank you for your help getting our son into Abingdon House. He started this morning and our LA are providing transport so it's looking good so far...

If not for your advice, we would never have considered it possible to get our son into this school, much less for it to be funded. We are very, very grateful! 

Thank you again,

I was battling with the local authority for an out of county autism specific residential school for my daughter and was challenging parts 2, 3 and 4 of her statement.  I was advised to seek legal representation and was recommended Fiona Slomovic.  It was a smart move and a really good decision and I cannot thank her and the team that work behind the scenes enough.   

I had stacks of paperwork, and several on going arguments with the school, social care and local authority.  Fiona sifted through all the mounting evidence and carefully picked out one main thread that we needed to focus on, the winning argument, backed by law.  

Fiona quickly and very expertly knocked the statement into shape and made ground with the local authority getting changes agreed. 

At the tribunal hearing Fiona headed our team, the expert witnesses and myself were fully primed and had all the relevant data, indexed, to find key points quickly.  Fiona was very assertive and made it clear to the panel that we needed this dealt with now as this has gone on long enough.  Fiona is very eloquent, very decisive and very knowledgeable about the law, and more professional than some solicitors.  Our team honed in on the main winning argument.  The hearing went on all day.  Fiona backed up the points that were made with the law and the case was won.  My daughter is now thriving at her new school.  For me and my daughter our future is looking so much brighter now.  Thank you so much Fiona and your team for all the work you did, for your advocacy, mediation and support.  You are a legend!

With lots of gratitude and thanks

LF

I would like to thank Fiona and her team for helping us achieve a positive result for my daughter. By the time I spoke to Fiona I already had heard options and advice by a number of professionals. Talking to Fiona felt like for once I was talking to someone who knew exactly how to help me. I felt that there was someone out there who was able to take over the emotional task of having to communicate with the L.A. team and the Tribunal. My daughter has just started at the new school and every day feels like a miracle

Ms P 

Perhaps the most striking thing about Fiona and her excellent support team is that they put our child’s needs first and respected our opinions as his parents.  As a parent of a special needs child this is a rare and refreshing experience.  Fiona and the team of professionals she recommended to us definitely helped to  restore our faith in human nature, which had become a little jaded after our experiences with the educational bureaucracy.    If you are looking for an advocate with an outstanding legal mind, an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and above all a huge breadth of experience to draw on, then Fiona should be top of your list.   Needless to say we won our tribunal case with Fiona’s indomitable support.  She is a legend!

Ms D 

After 5 long years of fighting with the school and the Local Authority, I was recommended (by chance) to speak to Fiona and her team. You know that feeling when you have exhausted every option. This is how we felt. We were feeling as though there would be no end to this awful situation. 
I found each member of staff knew exactly how I felt, they have a deep loyalty with the children they are helping, and understand exactly  how the system (schools LA etc) work.
For the first time in this long drawn out journey I was put at ease and was astonished at Fionas professionalism and patience and most of all knowledge and experience. And I stress she really knows her stuff !!! 
The staff are easily contactable, and although Fiona seems to be always busy she will make the time for you.
My son is now in the school we want him to be in and is happy and settled. This has had a dramatic impact on our son and  the whole family. We can start to concentrate on his education instead of worrying about his emotional well being, and his hideous days in mainstream school, which would have continued for all his school years.  
We are all so relieved and cant thank the team enough. 
Further more, my daughter is now struggling in the same way with very severe dyslexia,and associated issues, and I had no hesitation in contacting the team again. However, this time I know I have expert help right from square one! 

Mrs C

When it comes to advice on SEN matters, Fiona is the go-to person. If you speak to other parents, Fiona's name is always the one that comes up and people smile and say "oh yes, Fiona". We were extremely impressed with our dealings with Fiona, right from the initial advice on the phone through to her helping us win our tribunal. She might, at times, be difficult to get hold of, but that just shows how popular she is and she will get back to you when it counts and you have a deadline to meet. On the day of our tribunal, Fiona was very professional and remained totally focussed and on-the-ball, picking up on things immediately if they could be exploited to our advantage. We would not hesitate to recommend Fiona and would definitely use the Advocacy and Mediation service again

Ms K 

We hired Fiona to help us in our appeal to the SEN Tribunal regarding our son's school placement. Whilst we had done a lot of preparation ourselves, we wanted to make sure that we had a watertight case to get our son into the school he needed, an out-of-county specialist ASD school. Fiona was able to review our paperwork, identify any deficits and then prepare our submission to the Tribunal. She negotiated simultaneously with our Local Authority and we were delighted when the LA settled before the Tribunal hearing, agreeing to name our school of choice. Fiona also liaised with the Local Authority to agree the Final Statement wording. It was easy to communicate with Fiona by phone and email and she was efficient in all our dealings. It was a huge help having Fiona's knowledge and expertise to finalise matters with the Tribunal and the LA, which alleviated much of the inevitable stress involved in this process. 

Ms A 

When our daughter was diagnosed with ASC, we immediately put in place a home and nursery based ABA/VB programme; a significant financial strain on our family. We then approached Fiona to help us navigate the complex process of asking for support from our LA. She provided us with excellent advice at every step of the process. With Fiona’s help, and based on the strength of the arguments put forward, our application for statutory assessment was successful first time, we were offered a statement, and our appeal against the initial proposed statement requesting our LA to fund our ABA program across home and nursery was accepted in full. Our daughter is now thriving at a mainstream nursery with the full-time support of an ABA tutor, and on track to transition to a mainstream primary school. Following the statement appeal meeting, our LA not only agreed to fund our ABA program, but thanked us for the collaborative way in which we chose to work with them - a testament to Fiona’s work. Fiona has provided an outstanding service to our daughter and our family.  

Mr P 

Out of all the professionals we encountered throughout our tribunal experience Fiona stands head and shoulders above them all for her professionalism, knowledge and determination to get the best for her clients.

It is easily evident Fiona has developed scrupulous knowledge of the tribunal process and the regular professionals involved so can respond to personalities and dynamics on the day. She is also very reassuring and genuinely understands the predicament of families going to tribunal. We had an unhelpful deadline for evidence submission of 2^nd January yet she made herself available throughout the holiday period even with a heavy cold and social commitments to family & friends. She is also very honest so will tell you how it is.

We recently appointed a Senior ABA Tutor. When we discussed our tribunal experience and Fiona’s name came up, he recounted a council meeting where those attending were left in awe at witnessing Fiona successfully challenge the Chief Executive’s plans to reduce the budget for special needs provision. The tutor added, ‘She is definitely on the side of families and children’.

 Ms amd Mr M

1 found the idea of dealing myself with my son’s appeal incredibly daunting.  As soon as my wife and I spoke to Fiona we knew we were in safe and capable hands and there was one less thing we needed to worry about. Fiona is not just knowledgeable about the law, she really understands how to deal and negotiate with Local Authorities, and I think this made a huge difference in our case. I am convinced I could never have achieved such a good outcome without Fiona, and I have no reservation in recommending her to any parent facing a Tribunal or who needs help with a Statement.  She really was excellent and I am very grateful to her.

Mr S 

I know these are words that have been said a thousand times before no doubt but Fiona Slomovic of Advocacy and Mediation has changed not only my son's but our whole families' lives due to the amazing work she has provided in ensuring our son was granted the right provision and support after a catalogue of failures from our Local Authority.
Our son was thriving in a part time self funded ABA program in comparison to actual regression in the so called 'specialist' provision in our borough when using their archaic education and support techniques.
We knew our son had more potential than he was being given the opportunity to show and the best thing we ever done was to get Fiona Slomovich on board as our initial appeal was lodged using charity based guidance that Fiona quickly picked apart methodically as being the wrong approach, wrong setting and wrong support package that would actually be ineffective for our son.
Fiona's knowledge of the SEN law and SENDIST process is second to none, so much so she was actually gently guiding the principal education officers of our LA through the process with the finest precision and diplomacy!
The network of independent educational and health professionals Fiona has knowledge of also ensures that the respective professionals input is concisely translated into the appeal documentation in a fair manner to ensure that the RIGHT provision is fought for, not too little nor too excessive.
Due to the sheer amount of preparation Fiona spent on our appeal case being so strong our LA agreed to fund a full time ABA support package for our son (part time home \ part school) in a mainstream setting the actual day before the hearing. 
Prior to our appeal our son had been stuck in the non aspirational SEN school system in our borough and forever would be, within just 2 weeks our son is thriving in his new setting and is constantly amazing us on what he can actually achieve now he has the right support, we cannot ever thank Fiona enough for that.
I have already recommended Fiona Slomovic to multiple parents who are in similar situations with their LA and want to fight for the right provision they know is right for their child and I will continue to do so.
In all honesty I am also proud to now say I know and have had Fiona Slomovic work on our son's case as she is indeed our hero, so much so we are overwhelmed with emotion every time we think of how much she has helped us as a family  

Mr 1