EHCP agreed for DD (17) - advice needed please on draft plan (which I think may not be fit for purpose)

Punx where are you with the appeal? Is that the college you were looking at belonging to the group named after the light in the sky? I think they have an animal care unit.

dory you are 100% right about getting an EHCP well written from the beginning...if it's possible. As it makes things so much easier in the long run.
We applied for an EHCNA in July 2020 at the end of year 11. Ds got his first finalised EHCP in Jan 2021. And it's been downhill ever since, as it's not worth the paper it's written on. He's now significantly mentally unwell and not in education.
And 17 months after applying we are still fighting for what he needs. With an appeal ongoing, it's likely to take months yet. I wish we had got it right earlier.

Teen the specialist college we are looking at for Ds is very much like dory describes. Very small, but with therapy embedded throughout the day. It definitely has some animals there too. It's just a bit of a fight to get the LA to agree to what he needs...

Good luck both the process, it is certainly very stressful.

If maths needs to go on the back burner for now then so be it, there’s no rush and MH has to be the priority. Sadly it may be difficult for you to get it agreed DD can drop it completely for now due to government funding rules. However, there is an exemption when the pupil’s institution confirm it is not appropriate for them to study for either GCSE or a stepping stone qualification. There’s further information here.

With more support the current college may be the right one, but just so you can make an informed decision many specialist settings have animals/farms/stables. It is actually a sticking point for us finding a placement for DS1 because he is highly allergic to animals and has another medical condition that makes farms/stables high risk. It is a shame DD is now 17 because this school has an amazing reputation. The company do offer post 16 but I don’t know details of their offer.

Do you have evidence animals help? If I remember rightly DD did equine therapy, it’s possible you can get that, or something similar in the EHCP as well as the CBT therapist.

Imitating I really think the college is 100% the best place for her (unless there are specialist placements with animals). The animal care course she is doing provides the motivation for pushing against her anxieties. Her therapist is 'adoption aware' and DD is opening up to her.

Ideally at the moment I'd throw away maths. She isn't well enough for it right now and it adds unnecessary stress. I must write that down somewhere. If she could get a bit more support in college she'd be less stressed and so less tired.

Muddling It is much easier to get the EHCP right from the beginning than trying to tighten it up at AR. Also, you may need to appeal anyway to get EOTAS and make section F specific and quantified, so may as well sort it all in one appeal.

DD2, currently on a placement year between her 3rd and 4th year, has ASD and has DSA covering everything you mention as well as refunding the difference for an en-suite and travel expenses. You are right, a completely different experience.

Teen do you think the college is the right setting? Would a smaller specialist placement with therapies built subtly into the day be better? DS1 isn’t ready for CBT either, it’s a long slow process isn’t it?

Imitiating You may well be right. However DD is doing all she can manage right now, she's struggling with CBT (which isn't CBT yet as they need to do something else first) & college as it is. She just doesn't have bandwidth for any more of anything really.

Forgive me if you think I am overstepping, but from your posts I think DD would benefit from an assessment and provision, and I think others on here would agree. OT is about much more than many people realise which is why MH teams include OTs. They can work on improving MH, social skills and interaction, everyday living and independence skills as well as the typical perception of OT work. SALT is also about much more than the physical ability to speak, and again I think DD would benefit from it.

Imitating I don't think it's needed? It's not the core issue, or even the secondary one.

What week are you on now? I would request both in writing ASAP. DD has needs in both and without assessments there won’t be OT or SALT provision in the EHCP as provision is taken from the reports.

Imitating No, I didn't ask for OT nor SALT.

Teen did you request OT and SALT?

Yes, I was pleased they accepted the NA quickly. I think it was helped by the good advice here on MN that I wrote a clear letter that was hard for them to say no to.
We have had input from college, ed psych, consultant psychiatrist, and CBT therapist. The last 2 are private and adoption support funded and I'm sending those reports in today. Then I am going to update my 'what's not working well' section on the hub based on things arising over the past month.

I hope you get through to them. it seems so wrong they make the process so hard.

@MuddlingThroughWithoutAClue yes they do A levels, we currently have 2 in year 13 with additional needs one at Interhigh and the other at our local school, both applying for Uni

I will be grey by the end of it all😱

Tomnooktoldmeto can I ask why you didn’t just push the LA to finalise (which they could and legally should have done anyway) and then appeal?

@MuddlingThroughWithoutAClue you guessed correctly that she is at Interhigh and Is placed out of year due to health and birthdate, we did this to allow her to start again so she partially repeated year 7

Lessons are live at Interhigh, they have lead lessons which are like a large lecture and then follow lessons in small tutor lead groups, all lessons are then accessible in the lesson library so if DD is overcooked/ sensory she goes straight to a library lesson when she’s feeling less overwhelmed

The one thing we have found is that they’ve been exceptionally supportive of her unique needs over the years, it’s truly been the only school she’s ever felt like she belonged in

Internet school isn’t for everyone but I hope you get what’s right for your DD, believe it or not we refused to sign DD’s EHCP off for 4 and a half years as our LA we’re not getting it right, fortunately they were still paying her bills

We’ve gone from a child with no future to a young adult ready for University but only because we made sure she had the education that was right for her

You sound like you’re getting what you want put in, consider looking at sensory reintegration and also EMDR for her

If MH therapies are in section F it doesn’t so much matter DD is nearing transition from the POV of what will be provided, because if adult services won’t provide the therapy the LA must commission independent provision or you can ask for direct payments if you would prefer.

Internet schooling doesn’t work for DS either, he has home tutors.

Be aware that sadly even with all the reports the LA will almost certainly pay lip service and provide little or no therapy,

If the provision is in section F, if the LA refuse to provide it you can force them to via beginning Judicial Review proceedings. To get the therapy provision in section F in the first place you may need to appeal though.

Nothing to add, but we are due a decision on our EHCNA by mid Jan for our 17yo, so following along in case we are in the same position in couple of months.
(Ours also missed all of y11, and came out with 4 GCSEs at grade 3. Instead of re-sitting she has proceeded to college to do the same vocational course she was aiming at, except at a lower level.)

Hi @MuddlingThroughWithoutAClue our DD is very similar in profile and we went through this when she was 12. ( she’s 19 now and in year 13)

The others have given you fab advice which needs no comment, there are a couple of things I would say to you as someone with a similar experience

1. What do you actually want to achieve in priority order

1. At 17 please check when your DD is likely to be transferred out of CAMHS to an adult clinic

Dd was prepped for transitioning at 17.5 by CAMHS it caused major problems as it was just as Covid hit and we had to organise private support and different medication as they withdrew sleep meds

Camhs may not proceed with assessments etc if you’re in this deadman’s zone, not all camhs transfer by 18 but you need to understand what your camhs do

Educationally what do you want? If it’s tutoring that’s great but nows the time to look at everything

DD was placed at an Internet school and this was great for her, it doesn’t work for everyone but make sure you make the choice not have a choice imposed by your LA

Be aware that sadly even with all the reports the LA will almost certainly pay lip service and provide little or no therapy, sometimes it pays to find a private therapist yourself who fits your DD’s actual needs, we went through 5 before finding a really good fit

The rationale behind seeking an independent psychiatrist or clinical psychologist assessment is, unless you are lucky, it is likely to be far more detailed, specific and quantified than the CAMHS psychiatrist report. For instance, CAMHS may not recommend something they don’t normally provide, whereas an independent psychiatrist doesn’t have those restrictions. Nor restrictions on the length or frequency of sessions. An EP report is unlikely to have enough detail about DD’s MH needs and the MH interventions she needs.

A clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist will have different focuses. In a perfect world parents would have both, complementing each other, however that is costly. Many parents just go for a clinical psychologist with SENDIST experience. When looking at one or the other it depends on DC’s needs, what your aim of the report is and what other reports you have are like. Clinical psychologists tend to look at the bigger picture and therapies whereas psychiatrists typically have a more medical focus.