Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I move amendment No. 18:

In page 10, subsection (1), lines 32 and 33, after "persons" to insert "shall include the parents of the child and an independent advocate for the child and".

This amendment is similar to others we have tabled. It seeks to ensure that the parents are involved at all stages and that there should be an independent advocacy service for children with educational disabilities. This is lacking in the legislation as it stands, in that parents are consulted but are not centrally involved in the different stages, such as the preparation of education plans.