I suppose I want to know is it worth it or will it be just more aggro with a set of institutions that aren't even remotely interested?
Is it likely to take so long that he'd only get assessed when he's 19 or 20? He needs some support now.
Ds is 16 and has had severe health problems since aged 9 but was never assessed for a statement or EHCP. His first secondary school wouldn't even treat him as having special needs as he "didn't have learning difficulties" and despite him having been diagnosed, assessed and treated at GOSH, so no lack of information and evidence, the school pretty much ignored anything they recommended. We weren't even allowed to see the SENCO. Ds's main issue is that his health conditions cause very poor attendance.
He was then HE'd briefly when my dh became seriously and then terminally ill. He returned to school half way through Year 10 (he started so late into GCSE's partly due to the need to appeal to get a sympathetic school). The new school was much better but I suspect it wouldn't have been worthwhile looking at EHCP then due to the timescale before he left (no 6th forms at our schools).
Post 16 is a nightmare. His first course broke down because of his attendance and wasn't helped by the college treating him as though he didn't have anything wrong. I've complained about this, got a reply that was full of inaccuracies (the most charitable description I can find for a report that bears no relation to what actually happened). I escalated the appeal but after the hearing 3 months ago they are ignoring me and have not given me minutes of the meeting or any response. However, from the hearing it was agreed that ds was allowed to start one A level course which he had to join half way through and catch up on. He's struggling with attendance still and some of the work has to be done in college so this course may be about to break down too.
There are no schemes outside college that are not either work based (can't do due to attendance issues), involve high levels of physical activities and residentials (they won't take him) or involve massively underachieving (studying at level one when he's already got 5 CGSE passes at C+ including English and Maths).
I've emailed the special needs team in the LA but no-one has got back to me. College had previously given me the email of an individual in the team but all contact with them comes back as undeliverable. I feel that everyone just hopes we'll go away and stop bothering them. I'd asked the LA about an EHCP before but was given the standard "don't bother he won't qualify" reply.
I'm exhausted as since the age of 11 when GOSH bowed out it's been an ongoing struggle to get any NHS support locally and I'm currently paying for private physio and psychological help for ds. It feels like he's got no chance of a future as he cannot improve his health on his own and if it doesn't improve he cannot access education.
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Anyone applied for an EHCP for a 16+ year old?
3 replies
Runningtokeepstill · 19/03/2016 11:48
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