I have used Watkins twice now in relation to EHCPs, and honestly don't think they can be beaten. Once they are involved you know that you can relax, with access to expert advice, and the assurance of solid advocacy for your children's rights. Thank you Emma, Beverley, Keith, and all the team, for your hard work and encouragement.
Thank you also for the great SEN Information days, in which you share freely your knowledge and inspire jaded SEN families to keep going!

We engaged Watkins to assist with our son's EHCP appeal which was going nowhere until Emma became involved. He ability to use the appropriate targeted language in the EHCP document was invaluable to us in getting clarity. The local authority was forced to engage in a constructive fashion which they had not previously done, which meant that we were able to visit and assess different school settings to make an informed decision. Ultimately our case was resolved without the need to attend an appeal tribunal hearing.
Thank you very much for a great service.

Excellent service from Emma and her team
From the start , always prompt with reply's
Very good at explaining things in a understandable way, Would not hesitate to recommend or use again , Thankyou very much for all your help

Emma was excellent in helping navigate the changes required for the EHCP. It has created a framework document that will underpin the support for my son as he enters secondary school

We were having issues with our local authority not fulfilling their legal obligation to amend our son's EHCP and name a college of FE for post 16 studies. We enlisted the help of Watkins Solicitors who acted swiftly and professionally and the issue was closed down to our required outcome very quickly. Communication all the way through was great. Thank you so much for your help!

Emma
I can’t thank you enough you have helped us when we where running fast out of options and having a child getting more worked up as the days went on

Emma helped us with our children's EHCP appeals.
Emma was brilliant. She handled the LA's obduracy elegantly.
Emma was able to get the LA to agree section B (through the WD process) and much of section F.
She took away all of our stress and anxiety and handled the LA's considerable silliness and unlawful behaviour.
She transformed the LA Working Document into a far better document than it was as issued by the LA.
The remaining disputes (mostly about section F) were resolved at the Tribunal, which we won at appeal.
We highly recommend Emma and Watkins Solicitors.

We were glad with the support received. Excellent communication and honest advice throughout.

Emma supported us through our EHCP Draft review process. Honestly I thought that I was just paying for someone to do what I would have done myself as I did a fair amount of research on all things EHCP but as I was completely worn down and overwhelmed with months of fighting with the LA, plus working, looking after the children and some difficult family issues I gave in and instructed Emma's support. Turns out that there were things I wouldn't have known to pick up and request. As a result we are now set up with a strong EHCP that we can use in our placement appeal with the LA, as the LA is pushing for a school which can't meet the EHCP provisions. If the EHCP was not strong and quantifiable the school would probably not say that even if they were not suitable. Furthermore Emma provided advice on appropriateness, or the lack of, of the SLT and EP assessments that were carried out. It was definitely worth the money.

So much of what it takes to move a child with SEN towards the right setting is about following process and enforcing the rules and statutory timelines which seem to be ignored without someone legally minded pushing for you. I found the early stages of the EHCP process tricky and my daughter's mainstream school were not really invested in helping me to get the best out of the process. I decided to take my traumatised, burned out daughter out of school. It was a leap into the unknown because I had no school place to go to and no funding. With Emma's guidance we secured EOTAS funding for the second year, which enabled me to access learning from a variety of SEN settings for my daughter when she became well enough to engage with it, and to gently introduce her to learning again while the place at the school we wanted was becoming available. After over two years of waiting we have a school place in September. I would say that the last year to 6 months of this process where when the most action happened and that was the timeframe in which we had Emma's help. Its a very worthwhile investment and although you will still need to read/ write and compile evidence and be across all aspects of the process for your child - having someone to marshal those resources and information and to direct the local authority towards their duty of care and responsibilities legally speaking was a game changer for my daughter and I.