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Does mental health come under special needs and should a senco be involved ?

6 replies

TheOriginalNutcracker · 10/09/2014 13:24

Dd2 is 14 and has a diagnosis of Emerging Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder.
Her school were informed of this via letter over the summer.

Up until now the only input we have had from school has been meetings with member of pastoral or the head of year, and this is usually after an incident.

They have never mentioned senco being invloved, but dd really isnt getting any help at school and things aren't getting any better. Is this something the senco should be involved with ??

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TheOriginalNutcracker · 10/09/2014 22:13

Anyone ?

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ashtrayheart · 10/09/2014 22:18

You can apply for a statement. My dd got one for ebd at 14 (now has bpd diagnosis) although soon after she was sectioned and had been educated in hospital pretty much ever since, she's nearly 18 now. Does she need lots of extra help at school?

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ashtrayheart · 10/09/2014 22:20

Sorry I can see she does. I would speak to senco and send a letter to la asking for statutory assessment.

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ashtrayheart · 10/09/2014 22:21

Also try youngminds and parent partnership

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IsItSummerYet · 10/09/2014 22:24

Definitely. If she has a diagnosis school should really be putting in support to try to avoid some of the incidents you mentioned.

They probably would need help from a Mental Health Professional to understand what this diagnosis may mean - as I imagine most SENCo's would have little understanding as their background is education rather than Mental Health. I'm assuming there must be Mental Health Profs involved so could they liaise with school as just a letter on its own with the diagnosis isn't a whole lot of help.

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TheOriginalNutcracker · 11/09/2014 12:48

Thanks for all of the replies.

It varies as to how much help dd needs at school. It tends to be emotional support that she's in need of when things do go wrong.

She recently got into trouble for swearing at a teacher. I totally agree that she was out of order but the teacher was in her face and she was saying 'could you give me some space please' (as she's been told to go by her DBT therapist) and he wouldn't move.

Turns out the teacher had no idea about DD's problems as he'd not been told.

DD's DBT therapist is sending some info on her therapy to school and has offered to have a one off session with a member of school staff to give them the basic info of DBT. I'll be very surprised if school bother, because they just aren't interested.

I will ring school and see if I can make an appointment with the senco.