How did you survive the EHCP process?

[SinkGirl]

I honestly just can’t do this. I’m so far out of my depth, it’s ridiculous. I’ve had advice from different charities and places which I’m following but it’s just impossible.

I’m not asking for advice on what to do - I know that we are one meeting away from pursuing a tribunal and am trying to accept that because being assertive is not my forte but if I don’t push properly I’m letting my boys down.

I just want to know how you get through this in one piece mentally because I’m not doing very well at that right now.

Yes, one of the hardest things i've ever done. 5 years later and without doubt pursuing it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I don't have a formal paid or voluntary role but I try and pay it forward by supporting other parents, it makes me very angry too that so many won't have the means to do it.

It was hard so I sympathise. We are only just out the other side now and DS is finally getting what he needs. It has been a long struggle.
I kept getting conflicting advice from SENCO and various charities. Just push for what you believe and be assertive. You know your children better than anyone else. I think what I found the most frustrating was that everyone thought they knew better. In the end I got the outcome I needed and I pretty much done it alone.

You can do this. It's scary and its stressful but it will be worth it in the end!

Also just to add, pick it apart. When my proposed draft came through the provisions were hazy and unclear. Very non-specific and I was wrongly advised to just go with it so that it would be finalised quicker.

Luckily I got further advice and asked them to specify all the provisions. For example they wrote 'access to small group learning'. I had this changed to 'access to small group learning of 6-8 children'. Ect.

My sons went to panel they first time and was rejected as 'environmental' which translates to neglect , I as well have never shouted at someone over the phone but I lost my shit with them . He has a genetic condition ffs and consequently learning difficulties . At the time (3) he couldn't walk or talk and wasn't toilet trained ..
when it went back to panel I got letters from every specialist to argue my case and he got awarded one . Think of it that they can only award so many at panel and usually there are children worse than yours so you will hopefully get it next time . It's always more difficult with younger children anyway .
It sounds like you have a lot on your plate , have you got a diagnosis at all ? I do wonder if this makes a difference in getting the ehcp .

I don't know. I had a lot more fight in me then. Surviving 6 years of battling school for appropriate support after, and despite, the fucking EHCP has near destroyed me....battle for appropriate secondary provision just starting....honestly not sure how we're going to make it. It is a fucking shit show.

By the way can you call the nearest sn school and see if they have a nursery ? My local one took my son without an EHCp and it was free . That helped a lot .

I battled to get DS statemented (obvs pre-EHCP) and in the end took LEA to tribunal. Head teacher stood against me too. Panel wiped the floor with them - it was embarrassing to see how ridiculous they looked.

But... the statement & subsequent EHCP tbh meant very little & the battle continued. He's at uni now & it's still not ok, but I look back & have no idea how I got through.

Good luck!

Is everyone emailing their mp on this issue and lobbying them?

I'm panicking that I am at the bottom of this ladder and I have no fight left in me, I'd go straight to mp at first sign of any crap.

Right now we don’t have an MP thanks to the GE. The first day back they won’t know what hit them. I am back to angry now!

Luckily I got further advice and asked them to specify all the provisions. For example they wrote 'access to small group learning'. I had this changed to 'access to small group learning of 6-8 children'. Ect.

Can I ask what the process was to get these changes? Did you have to appeal? Because the provisions in ours are an absolute joke.

Yes, they are both diagnosed with ASD. One also has brain damage, optic nerve hypoplasia, a cerebral visual impairment and endocrine / metabolic issues as yet undiagnosed.

It shouldn’t be this fucking hard.

By the way can you call the nearest sn school and see if they have a nursery ? My local one took my son without an EHCp and it was free . That helped a lot .

Several of them take kids from 3 but you need an EHCP.

My DS attends a fantastic special school now but I'll tell you what his headteacher told me back last spring when we had a tour of the school, he sat me down and laid his hands flat on the table and said 'He should be here, and we would love to have him, but I will reject him at the EHCP application stage on the grounds of space. I will not be able to take him unless the LA orders me to give him a space, and they will not do that until you show them you are serious by submitting tribunal papers'.

He was constrained by money, space. I could see he wanted to do more but couldn't.

So I finalised the EHCP and submitted the tribunal appeal. Meanwhile I went ahead with the mainstream nonsense. Two days before term ended in July I got 'the call' to say DS would be offered a place. When I popped in to meet his teacher I saw the Head across the foyer and he gave me the tiniest of winks.

I'm not gonna lie, it was hard and it broke me. I'm not fixed yet. But DS is SO happy. He loves school. Every minute of that fight was worth it.

@SinkGirl what a shame .. it helped me keep a foot in each door as he went to ms too.. I wanted him to at least try ms and he went to a lovely primary for 3 years and is now in an amazing sn school. I'm so lucky to have got a place .

Yeah, all the specialist schools are full but if this panel decides they should have a specialist place (which I doubt they will with the plans as they are) one of the four will have to take them.

I’ve managed to get it written into their plans that they need to work on the twins interacting with each other (as they currently don’t) so they should struggle to separate them at different schools.

I just hate the not knowing - I hate that a group of people have already made a decision about this and they just haven’t told me. I will feel better when I know where we stand.

Good luck! Keep in mind why you're doing this. What they decide will be all about money. They'll try to make it personal to put you off pursing it, so remember why you're doing it and develop a thick skin. If your dc deserve one they will get one in the end. (Have had to fight for one twice. Second time was horrific.) And put everything that is said in writing. Keep saying what you need to say broken record style.

It is a nightmare. We are in the middle of our second EHCP application and now trying to decide whether to send DS2 to the same school as DS1 or a school that is in the opposite direction.

I was fairly lucky in the sense that I'd actually agreed the draft EHCP and a few days later I emailed the lady at the council who dealt with our case and explained the situation. She said as she hadn't yet started the consultation process that I could email her the relevant changes.

I didnt get all the ones I had asked for as they didnt believe them to be relevant including the fact that he has the tendency to choke on his food!

However, I do feel making the changes was what made the difference between mainstream and a specialist provision.

I would speak to whoever is leading your process and see what they say as I don't know where you are with it all and see what they advise.

If not you may need to appeal if it has already been finalised. AMAZE could help advise you also.

I'm fairly new to MN so not sure but feel free to PM me if that's a thing and will help as much as I can.

I just read through the thread properly and saw that they left of the SALT recommendations. Funny that seems to be a trend. Mine left out a whole report from SALT who also clearly stated he needed specialist provision. They tried to state the last report they had access to was from a year ago.
It's a ridiculous process and I agree that it shouldn't be so much of a fight.

Mine left out a whole report from SALT who also clearly stated he needed specialist provision. They tried to state the last report they had access to was from a year ago.

That’s exactly what they’ve done except in two parts - left out the crucial parts from DT1’s SALT report and forgot to request one for DT2 so they only had one that’s a year old.

I’ve barely had to add in any needs, fhey were pretty much all there. It’s the fact that the professionals haven’t given specific provisions that’s the issue (except SALT, but they left many of them out).

If you feel that the reports submitted are not fit for purpose in so far as their advice is not specific and quantified then you have the right to reject them. For a report to inform the process it has to be accepted as for for purpose by both the LA and the parents.

In practice this means either compelling the LA to return to their professionals (or you do it) and get them to firm up the advice, or, more likely, telling the LA to finalise the plan and then immediately appeal to Tribunal.

My advice is to show them that you mean business and are not going to back down.

Thanks - this is my plan when I meet with them next week. I have everything in a table highlighting where provisions are missing or too vague (almost all of them) and will tell them they need to get more specific advice. If not, will hi straight to appeal.

I feel a bit better now, thanks everyone. Just been a rough day.

Oh yes, leaving out SALT. We had a really good statement with it all specified and quantified. When it was converted to an EHCP they copied and pasted the whole thing except they carefully removed all the SALT provision. If I hadn't read it really carefully I might not have spotted that. They did reinstate it when I added it all back in again but it was nerve wracking waiting for the approved version.

They’ve put in the specificied provision from salt for DT1 in terms of the programme he should get (eg a session with a salt every half term, then a programme devised and delivered in class, daily 20 sessions etc). But there’s half a page of recommendations (specialist teachers for ASD with experience of working in small classes etc, plus a list of things the staff working with him need to be trained in) which is conveniently not there.

I’ve also managed to get the SALT to agree to write an equivalent report for DT2 this week which should help.

Vision Support are coming today so I’ll have to beg them to write something up ASAP

My child was given a statement at 3 years old (a very good one and straightforward to get thankfully).
They are now 20 years old and about 3 years ago we had to get the statement transferred to a EHCP, and my God was it a nightmare. Nobody had a clue as it was all so new, the LEA were trying to remove things for no reason but doing it in such a way that many parents didn’t even realise until it was too late.
There seemed to be a lot of help for people applying for 1st EHCP’s but absolutely nothing for a transfer. I (stupidly) went to my local SENDIS for help and let just say that you could tell that they were being funded by the LEA, lot of what they told me I later found out was completely wrong.

The following year ready for annual review and leaving 6th form I made a point of pushing and pushing for New assessments by SALT, OT, Ed Psyc, Physio. None of which had been done for many years, one such as Ed psych had not been done for 14 years.
At first the LEA left out all the reports from the EHCP, but eventually added them which added an extra 6 pages to the EHCP.

It was a complete nightmare and even now I really don’t think my child’s EHCP includes everything it should.

I feel your pain, it's a fucking nightmare and one of the worst aspects for me was the feeling of "unfairness" - it simply shouldn't be like this for parents who have a tough enough time as it is. It makes me furious.

Anyway, FWIW, my best advice is (if possible depending on phone calls etc and indeed the DC!) try and set aside a specific time each day with a limit (eg mine was 6pm for 60 mins) and I tried really hard to not stress or even think about it outside those times. It helped it feel not so all consuming. Obviously you will have to have phone calls/meetings at times outside this but call it your "allowance" for that day if possible. I know easier said than done though.

Also - eyes on the prize! I still remember the feeling when I got a phone call (in Sainsbury's!) when the LEA stopped fighting and gave in. If you can try and imagine how it will feel when it's over and done and you know how hard you've worked (and hopefully won) and hang onto that tonight.

Sorry that's no help with the "admin" side of it but it might help even a little with the "mental" side of it.

This, and the DLA system is (I'm sure of it) designed exactly to put people off, give up and give in. When mine was done, I sent copies of ALL the paperwork to my MP and asked him to respond to specific questions about the process and if he thought it was justified. In fairness he did respond and he acknowledged it shouldn't be like this. (Nothing changed though of course).

You can do this and you'll get through it and it will be over

iHeart I'm sad to hear that the only children that get consistent proper support are those with a EHCP. I have a son on sen support only and it's a shame that he would not be considered important enough for support.