turned down fo a statutory assesment

[hannahsmummsy]

my daughter has physical and social problems , I have aspergers syndrome. I found out today that my daughter has been turned down for a stat assesmenmt . none of the girls at school talk to her ,she spends most of the time on her own. she told the gp she wants to throw herself in front of moving traffic and he has reffered her to chams (which the school was supposed to do months ago) I cant face any more patronizing meetings , I am going to appeal but shes in year 10 so time is not on our side. I wish I could take lots of pills and go for a nice long sleep and she would be someone elses responsibility (selish i know and i would never do it)

[hazeyjane]

Hannahsmummy, I'm glad you started a thread. I'm afraid I have no knowledge of the statementing process. So I can offer no advice there.

But Justa is right, you need to think about what you need as well. What support have you got around you?

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

So sorry, hannahsmummsy. Have they said why they won't assess? Do they need more information? What a nightmare for you. Have you had any help from parent partnership, they can be useful to support you and offer advice. ((((hugs)))) Keep on posting, we'll try to help.

[Vroomfondel]

keep nagging at CAMHS to get your appointment with them a bit quicker. Although it has to be said the first meetings we had with them were patronising and frankly a bit crap they did get better and finally listened. ask them also for support for you. Parent partnership is also another fine idea.

i don't do hugs (wonder where DD gets it from) but keep talking and there are many brillliant knowledgable people here who can help.

[hannahsmummsy]

Thanks I have a carer because of my Asperger (shes off sick) they wont asses her because shes not behind enough accademicaly (estimated D and e at GCSE).she totaly socialy isolaed all the bullys have now been made prefects(LOL) the head master denies in writing she being bullied (LOL).Got a meeting to see him next week (JOY OF JOYS ! NOT).she also sufferers from regional pain syndrome and has a lot of time off (Which the school dont give a monkeys about her catching up).spoke to the educucational psycologist who made the decion ,she said dont work she will make friends when she leaves school next year . ( I pointed out that if you went to work and no one talked to you or ate there lunch with you , after a year she may be deppresed) Hannahs father is sod all help .all this from a suppsedly catholic faith school !!
s

[moosemama]

Hannahsmummy, I agree with what other's have said, you need to make sure you have some support for yourself through this.

What support is your dd currently getting in school? She needs a support plan for the interim time until you do manage to get a statement for her. Could you arrange a meeting with the SENCO and her teacher and possibly take someone from Parent Partnership with you for support.

With regards to the statutory assessment, did they give you a reason why she was turned down?

IPSEA are really helpful in this sort of situation - there website is worth a read and maybe give them a call to talk it through?

Other useful sources/resources are SOSSEN and ACE.

These people really know their stuff and will talk through your situation with your and offer really sound advice and support.

As Ellen said, keep posting. We are all here to support you, you don't have to do this alone.

[hannahsmummsy]

thank I will call IPSEA ETC on monday xxxxxxxxxxxx

[hannahsmummsy]

Hannah is on an alternative learning course with a sn teacher and 2 other children , she love this course but hate all of the social times break time form time dinner time and the other times she is in normal lessons. Im a bot down because a couple of weeks a go i had a coil fitted and my body regected it an i ended up on a gyne ward for a couple of nights im still ill two coures of anti biotic later.

[moosemama]

Cross posted.

Right, first of all, they have contravened the SEN Code of Practice (you can download a copy here) by not assessing because she's not academically behind. That is classed as a blanket policy and is something most LEAs try to get away with but they absolutely cannot do this.

I assume from what you've said that the statement she needs is primarily to support her social and physical needs rather than academic, in which case her academic level is irrelevant. There are many average and high achieving - even some gifted and talented children who have statements to support them in accessing the curriculum.

We are currently applying for my ds (aged 9 ASD) and his is basically what the inclusion team call an 'autism statement', meaning that its covers his social, communication and emotional needs, as those are the things that are stopping him from accessing the curriculum effectively. The situation would be the same for your dd - according to my ds's inclusion teacher LEAs are seeing more and more of this type of statement request coming through and some are being resistant, but they are getting through. You may need some help to write your appeal from someone who's been there before though, some of the links I posted above would be a good place to start.

[madwomanintheattic]

does she have access to the learning support dept at break and lunch? one of the secondary schools i worked in let the 'known' kids use the learning support dept classrooms as a social/ chill out space at these times (and actually at any other time they felt they needed to) - you could ask the senco whether this is a viable option?

you sound as though you are having a hard time yourself, too.

camhs are great for kids in this sort of situation once you get there, but you might need to call them and make a bit of a noise about the urgency to speed things up. your own gp might be able to call on your behalf as well?

[moosemama]

Oh you poor thing, all this to deal with and you're ill as well. Honestly, you need to take care of yourself, its just as important as all this other stuff.

Is there no way the school would let your dd read in the library or something at break/lunch times?

Just had another thought. If the Head is refusing to accept the bullying is taking place - have you written to the Governors? That would be the next step - a letter to the Governors, detailing the problem and copied to your LEA.

There are lots of anti-bullying websites this one has some advice for escalating complaints to schools. There's more advice and sample complaint letters here.

[hannahsmummsy]

hannah has been made a librarian to make the fact she hides with fear in the library acceptable . she a lovely kid and wants some friend but 2 girls stop the others from talking to her. i feel i have let her down , thats why i want her to go into care

[moosemama]

A tip I was given to push CAMHS referrals forwards was to send them a briefing document outlining the background to the current situation and the scale of the problem.

I didn't do this when my ds was referred for anxiety and we were turned down on just a normal GP referral. I've been told by several professionals since then that it would have really helped, as they have so many cases to consider at their weekly meetings that the more information they have, the more likely they are to see you.

[hannahsmummsy]

thanks im going to write to the chair of governors

[hannahsmummsy]

and to camhs

[moosemama]

You absolutely haven't let her down, I know it can feel like that - I felt the same when my ds was being badly bullied and I couldn't get it to stop. Its just so hard when we can't be there to protect them 24/7.

Keep posting, I have been here for two years now and have had so much fantastic help and support. I feel so much more positive now than when I first started posting and things are so much better for my ds too as a result.

[hannahsmummsy]

thanks bulling website is good .
we are going to stay in a b and b near the sea for the night tommorow xxxxxxx

[hannahsmummsy]

thanks for all your lovely helpfull replies
and david cameron i dont want you to visit me i vote labour
joke xx

[moosemama]

That's the spirit. You can do this. I am hopeless face to face with the school and other professionals, but I write a mean letter and that's usually far more effective, plus has the advantage of creating a paper trail and concrete evidence of what's gone on.

Do you keep a diary/journal of what goes on. A lot of people here have found this really useful in terms of gathering evidence and also informing letters etc with definitive facts and dates etc. I just bought a big A4 page a day diary off ebay and jot a few notes down in it after school each day, plus any medical etc appointments he has.

[moosemama]

at the David Cameron joke!

Enjoy your stay at the seaside. Try and let yourself leave it all behind for the weekend and give yourself some time to unwind.

We will all be here when you get back if you need any help.

[hannahsmummsy]

the diary is a good idea good for dla as well

[hannahsmummsy]

not that dla will exist if our lovley prime minister has his way lol

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

You have moosemama and madwoman on your side, things are looking up!

[hannahsmummsy]

what makes me so sad is that if your met my girl you would see how lovley she is and i cant whach this happening anymore x

[pinkorkid]

I've copied some stuff from another thread with links to the sen code of practice as it should give you useful evidence to quote in the letters you plan to write appealing the decision not to assess.

The sen code of practice will give you most of the answers and reassurance you need about your dd's eligibility for a statement. link here:www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DfES%200581%20200MIG2228.pdf

It's very long but with an index at the front so you can pick out the most relevant bits for you at each stage. Ch 7 gives you the information on applying for a statutory assessment to evaluate whether your dd likely to need a statement or not.

Re the academic problems only myth, here is a direct quote to be aware of next time someone tries to sell that one to you:
"Other factors
7:42 While academic assessments will provide important evidence, LEAs should not delay their
consideration of a child until up-to-date assessment results are available. LEAs should
also have regard to teachers? own recorded assessments of a child?s classroom work, the
outcome of IEPs and any portfolio of the child?s work compiled to illustrate their progress.
7:43 LEAs should also seek evidence of any other identifiable factors that could impact on
learning outcomes including:
 clear, recorded evidence of clumsiness; significant difficulties of sequencing or visual
perception; deficiencies in working memory; or significant delays in language
functioning
 any evidence of impaired social interaction or communication or a significantly
restricted repertoire of activities, interests and imaginative development
 evidence of significant emotional or behavioural difficulties, as indicated by clear
recorded examples of withdrawn or disruptive behaviour; a marked and persistent
inability to concentrate; signs that the child experiences considerable frustration or
distress in relation to their learning difficulties; difficulties in establishing and
maintaining balanced relationships with their fellow pupils or with adults; and any other
evidence of a significant delay in the development of life and social skills.
7:44 Some factors, including significant problems in the child?s home or family circumstances
or their school attendance record, can contribute towards under-attainment but may not
always be indicators of special educational needs. LEAs should therefore seek any
evidence of such identifiable factors that could impact on learning outcomes including:
 any evidence that the child?s performance is different in different environments
 evidence of contributory medical problems
 evidence from assessments or interventions by child health or social services."

Sorry the formatting is all over the shop, but hopefully you can still read it.

You can also ring up to ask for sencop and the sen toolkit to be sent out to you by post - all free- as it's very useful to be able to scribble over and underline your own copy. The number is: Telephone: 0845 60 222 60.