Letter from School Health Service - wwyd?

[noodle6]

I received a letter from the School Health Service. I'm not quite sure how to respond but clearly the LA had informed the Health Services (or the other way round?). Only my eldest DD is "known" so far - I withdrew her from school 2 years ago, and I now have another DD who turned 5 last Sept so I am guessing they are writing that because of my younger DD. This is so stupid because we have been using the GP services for any queries and health-related matters for the 2 years we have been home educating. We have had no need for any further meet-ups with health staff. Why would anything need to change now??

The letter, which is sent from a neighbouring Children's Centre which we never used, says :

"I am a Child Health Practitioner working within the Integrated Children's Team, working with children aged 0 - 19 years. I understand that your child/children is/are being homeschooled.

I would like to visit you and your child/ren at home on 09/07/12 at 14:00.

This will be an opportunity to discuss our service, offer any screenings and provide support with any health-related issues.

If this appointment is inconvenient I would be grateful if you could contact mee on the above telephone number so I can arrange a more suitable time.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

XXXXXXX
Child Health Practitioner

(signed) XXXXXX - Assistant Practitioner"

How should I respond? I think I'd better respond in writing. I just need some ideas. Should I say "Thank you for your offer, but we have been using the GP's services for support in health-related issues and are very happy to continue as such. I do not see the need for any additional health-related services."?? Or is there a better way to put it?

Any suggestions or thoughts about this appreciated. TIA.

I'm a little uncertain as to why you think their offer is 'stupid'. You're coming across as hostile and making an issue where these is none (at least on the basis of what you've posted).

If you don't want to meet with her you only need to ring up and say so, why would you need to write.

I don't think it's unreasonable.

My children also see thier gp if they need too. They have also been assessed by the CHP at school. They have, along with the rest of the class, been weighed, measured and have had a hearing and basic sight test. They want to offer your children what children at school are offered.

I don't know how much you know about the way LAs operate with home educators.. but what I've learnt about my experiences with them is that it's better to have everything down in black and white on paper so they can't retract what's been said later. I know I'm not exactly dealing with the LA at the moment. But it's obvious that the LA and the health services in my area are sharing information. And that's not what they should be doing either??

If you can tell me what is it the school health nurse can offer that I myself or the GP can't do, then I might think the school nurse offer is worth considering. Sight test - me and DCs already regular customers at the opticians with sight tests.
Weighing and measuring - nothing me or GP can't do. Weight/height charts - easily accessible so if something is off about their weight/height I can just go down to the GP right? I watch my children really closely and would have them see a GP at the very first instance if I notice anything unusual.

What is the only thing left that has already been mentioned... hearing test?? Anyone knows what that's for if my children don't show any difficulties at all in their abilities to hear?? My children regularly attend extracurricular activities and if they had an inability to hear I'm sure that would be noted long ago.

I think I would write thanking for the letter, informing them that I do not require an appointment with them, that I am entirely satisfied with the excellent medical evaluation and treatment my dc are currently receiving with our GP which fully meets our needs at present.

Okay apologise if by saying it's "stupid" I've offended someone. Obviously it's only a "stupid" offer to me because I don't see why I need it based on my circumstance. It's not stupid to anyone who really need those services.

There are health interventions only offered through school health services such as HPV vaccination. Your GP would not be able to offer this for any daughters you have.

Hearing screening can be valuable as not all hearing loss is apparent; you could ask your GP to refer any children to audiology.

All children aged 4-19 are entitled to health services, many of which are routinely offered through school, to complement primary care based practice. If a child is educated other than at school they are not supposed to be disadvantaged in health terms hence why you have received that letter. If you choose not to access those services then just write or phone and explain why.

At a tangent I would like to point out that mild hearing problems, usually conductive often related to glue ear are often not obvious. I think you are wrong to say that this would have been picked up at activities.

However it is correct you can access these through your GP.

I'm not sure about immunisations though, in my area they are not available at the GP but I'm nor sure if there are exceptions to this (what if a child was off sick on vaccination day?)

Thanks Sidge, that got me Googling... I found this on the NHS website about hearing tests your hearing tested www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hearing-problems/Pages/getting-your-hearing-tested.aspx So it appears it can be done at the GP or at home over the telephone by just calling an 0844 number or via an online website. So. not really necessary to be done through the school health service.

link didn't work.. here it is www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hearing-problems/Pages/getting-your-hearing-tested.aspx

if you don't want a visit, you could write that you will call them at some stage to find out what services they offer.

I agree with ZZZenagain, but would also add that your dcs are up to date with immunisation, etc. last visit/ next appointment with dentist etc. I don't HE yet but would be concerned with this as its like they are saying your competence needs testing. My dcs have always been in school and have never received a letter like this, so it has to be a H.ed reason.

I know over here the under 5's get vaxed at the HV's baby clinic. Not sure about school aged children over 5? And about the HPV vaccine. How safe is it? In the local news I read about a girl who got paralysis after the vax and the death of another after the vax. The mum of the girl who is paralysed is calling for the vax to be suspended until the vaccine has been fully assessed for safety.

potatoprints - your dcs are in school and you have never received a letter like that - exactly! Your dcs are in school so the school nurse accesses them through school.

If children are not in school the school nurse team sees them in whatever alternative educational provision they are in. Which is home, hence the letter. I don;t think it's anything to be suspicious about.

If you are happy with your children's height, weight, eyesight and vax's, write and say so, but maybe ask what other screening they offer that you might be interested in - the hearing test for instance.

No need to get all defensive.

I'm "defensive"?? How??

My DD attends an independent school and has had her HPV through her GP at school.

That was to potatoprints suggesting that the letter means they are questioning your competence.

My dc went to private school outside the borough and I never received a lateer from the local education authorities about anything. I don't think they knew about my dc's schooling at all.

TBH you do sound defensive. However, I can understand being defensive if you have struggled with LEA etc about home schooling before. It does just sound like a nice letter offering you the chance to have the same checks that children at school have. The school nurse picks up where the HV leaves off so it is worth meeting her as she would be your contact with any concerns. Obviously you can still use your GP but the school nurse will be more specialised in concerns relating to children.

Okay that's quite true Indith. I suppose this can be considered "defensive" if I am trying to protect myself from any foreseeable problems that may result from whatever actions I take wrt to the authorities. But yes that has come about because of my past experiences with them. I am no longer that naive thinking they are always having my best interests at heart. Their actions and words have only taught me that they can lie (first letter said they have a duty to monitor all home ed provision and threatened with court action if I didn't comply - I questioned that, upon which they admitted I was right that they don't actually have the legal right), they are not always concerned about my child's welfare at heart (I asked the school and the GP for help each year when my eldest DD had problems in school, they just totally fobbed me off... and then when I withdrew her from school they started wanting to meet up with me). I'm sure not all of them are bad, but I am wary of them now and deal with them as it comes.

We receive letters from the Health Service for our home educated children, on occasion. They're usually to remind us about a vacc or some such that we need to arrange via our GP, which we then do.

The information might be useful, but I'm not sure why they seem to want to have a meeting/visit with you, in person, and at your home.

You see, if the Health Service had sent me a letter just like the ones you've received Lyraedu, I will not have been so... "defensive". Unfortunately it seems to be a bit of a postcode lottery. I've just been told that many HEors in my area have received a letter exactly like mine.

On further investigation there is no "scientific" link between HPV vaccine and the deaths or other side effects. (It is the same kind of link as why elderly people in hospital frequently die soon after a blood test, even though they are the kind who were reaching the end anyway.)

From next year the health service is going to use the other vaccination.

I would probably reply that I did not agree to the meeting but if she could email or send a letter with the reason why it would be helpful to be in contact with her I would consider it, we could even discuss it on the phone. I would also make it clear you have an on going relationship with your GP for your child/children's health needs.

You could respond that the 9th July at 14.00, and indeed any time between 8 and 4 on weekdays conflicts with your homeschooling lesson plans, and therefore is inconvenient. If they forward that on to the LEA I think you can feel you have scored a point.

In all seriousness I would rather that information about where to access services was available online and on paper (not least because I would rather as a taxpayer have HCPs' home visit time aimed at those who are most in need), and I think that practitioners have a duty to be far clearer about whether things are mandatory than they currently seem to be.

noodle - A letter like that would annoy me - I think it's presumptuous of the writer to make an appointment rather than offering one. They're basically inviting themselves into your home.

It would have been much more polite to have written to you, included all the info about their services, and invited you to contact them if you chose to.

Since other HEdders in your area have received this letter, I'd wonder why they've now decided to organise all these home visits.