A GROUNDBREAKING service to help resolve rows involving school bosses and parents of children with special educational needs has started work in East Lancs.

The Disagreement Resolution Service is organised by the Boys' and Girls' Welfare Society.

The society was awarded a contract to work with 16 local education authorities, including Lancashire, which make up the North West SEN Partnership.

The initiative is aimed at preventing and resolving disagreements between parents, LEAs and schools. From its base in Preston, it offers the services of experts in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "If a disagreement occurs about the educational provision of a child with special needs, the new service provides parents or carers and LEAs with an opportunity to achieve an early and informal resolution of their differences in the presence of an neutral expert."

County Coun Alan Whittaker, cabinet member for education and young people in Lancashire, said: "This service will help us deliver the policy set by Government to help children release their potential.

"We are committed to developing an education service in Lancashire which provides equality of opportunity and promotes high achievement for all our children.

"We are working in partnership with other LEAs to provide this new service which will be welcomed by parents of special educational needs children."