To ask what a Personal Budget is - EHCP

[Drafting]

Shamelessly posting here for traffic.

I have my son's draft EHCP from Hampshire County Council. I'll be honest it isn't what I expected but I didn't know what I did expect.

They have asked if I'm applying for a personal budget. I have no idea what this is. Reading about I'm still not entirely sure.

My understanding is I can use it to employ individuals to assist my son at his educational setting? Is that correct? Has anyone successfully done this?

Oh, and special school is unlikely to mention 1:1, etc., because their setup means it is very rarely needed.

It's also worth being aware that they may well consult with schools with that draft plan, rather than an amended one. For my son, schools were consulted with a shit draft which didn't give a full overview of his needs ("requires adult support" was changed to 1:1 32.5hrs per week at all times of day after the school had said they had no objections to the original plan), they wrongly consulted schools as our parental preference (in our case, our local mainstream school were consulted as our catchment AND parental preference, when they weren't) and the LA also downgraded his funding in the process, which no one had been made aware of (he'd been receiving a higher level of funding for several years prior to the plan being issued and schools consulted). Oh and the drafts went out for consultation without significant (SALT and OT) reports included - his biggest areas of need.

Best advice I was given was to let mainstream schools meet my son so they knew what they were potentially taking on rather than just reading about him on paper 😂 appreciate you don't have time for that though

IME the personal budget is used if a child is out of school and needs to have money spent on other support. In school the personal budget doesn't cover what is needed for support so there's no money left 🤷🏼‍♀️

Transport is definitely from a different pot. You apply at the council once you have your place. If you have to drive your dc you get mileage and put in a form monthly, or they provide a taxi/minibus.

We had direct payments to pay for education for one term, though opted for the council to manage the money (honestly I get this makes no sense but by that point we just needed school!). It seemed to work though I ended up having to chase the council to pay providers and would personally say managing the money yourself would be better.

I too am reasonably able, numerate and organised and find the whole process ridiculously opaque and unhelpful. There are a fair few on the SN boards who are EHCP savvy and usually several in the process of applying if you need support.

I will read and respond properly later. I have just got to work. The mainstreams have all, so far, told me they will push it back that they cannot meet his needs. They have my name and his. I have been upfront and frank and told them all I don't want a mainstream.

I was going to refuse to engage with the mainstream process but was told I couldn't be that obstructive. That's how strongly I feel he needs specialist provision.

When I was at this stage with DD1 it was the LA who wrote a special school Statement of Educational Needs (as they were called then). They're normally pretty good at knowing which kids won't do at mainstream. But spaces are tight, so some do get placed in ms and then moved when it fails.

Have a good look at the specialists and decide which one/s you would accept and why. You'll need to show that the school can meet needs where the other inc mainstream can't. Eg class sizes, braille use, total communication approach, onsite specialists, peer group, level of education. If you have a professional that has wtitten in their report that your child needs x provision and the school provides it, that is your evidence for this. It maybe that the reports commissioned to inform the ehcp by the la aren't fit for purpose (highly likely, not specified, quantified, not based on assessments, based on observation etc) and you may need to buy in your own.

If the special school you want isn't an la school or on section list try to get them to say they can offer a place and when.

I forgot to add earlier anything that educates or trains goes in section f. Many LA's like to put ot/ speech in health, there is caselaw that shows it is do vital to educatio it goes in F.

Agree with all other posters, system is crap.

It’s great that the AHT is helping you but bear in mind many staff get their knowledge from the LA and believe the misinformation they are fed.
I had a lovely SENCO at my sons secondary who genuinely wanted to help but multiple times she was giving me local policy info which didn’t match with the law!

My DS is now at specialist school, it was a fight even though mainstream very clearly couldn’t meet need but very worthwhile.

Mine is in mainstream 6th form and the LA has just offered a PB.

I agree with everyone on that the system is broken. It’s heartbreaking.

OP, do you know if your preferred specialist school has space?
If it is a section 41 school, they are obliged to take but many independent specialists schools aren’t. The NAS chose to have section 41 status removed so that they could have more control over admissions.

As I wrote upthread, we were left in the unfortunate position of finally having an EHCP for DS that reflects need and only specialist provision could meet but not being able to find places or anywhere with space and this situation is just getting worse. I hope that this doesn’t happen to you guys.

AHT has come back already with some great points. I will be challenging quite a few points on the EHCP. I'm starting to understand getting this nailed down and watertight. They haven't even mentioned his severe autism and learning difficulties where it needs to be present!

I'm pushing for SEN school to be named in the Educational Setting section.

To a pp. I have said several times to so many schools that the system fails the most vulnerable. I am struggling with this and I'm NT and have time and money to throw at it. It is heartbreaking.

My son is 4. He is Sept 24 intake. Local specialist has c.20 places. I have no idea if they are s.41. How would I find out? They are a state special school.

Here is a link for the page on the government website where you can download the list of section 41 schools.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-special-schools-and-colleges

The good thing about doing it this early is that if you need to appeal, you'll get a priority date as you're at a phase transfer point.

We're you happy with the EP report? Have any professionals mentioned things like class sizes in their reports?

X has received a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and currently
experiences a range of difficulties, including reduced attention and listening skills, severely
delayed receptive and expressive language skills, delayed social communication skills,
difficulties related to sensory processing and limited fine motor skills, in relation to mark
making. X has reduced independence with his daily living skills, i.e., toileting and
dressing and requires a high level of adult support to access his environment, remain safe
and follow daily routines.
X will continue to need additional support in school, including regular review of his
strengths and difficulties to understand his learning needs and implement appropriate
strategies to enable his progression. Based on the information provided to me at the time
of writing this report, X would appear to require access to small group teaching within
the school day, supported by staff with skills and knowledge of ASC, to facilitate his
progress. This would include access to a curriculum which is suitably differentiated to
accommodate his needs in a highly structured environment, with a consistent and
predictable routine, and a structured and visual approach to develop his learning, play,
language and social communication skills.

That's what is written in the appendices. I need this in the actual main body of the EHCP. I also want the words "appears" gone. It's so difficult. I really need to get onto teacher mode and mark all that needs changing.

AHT is going to speak to me this week to go through this too.

"require access to small group teaching within
the school day, supported by staff with skills and knowledge of ASC, to facilitate his
progress. This would include access to a curriculum which is suitably differentiated to
accommodate his needs in a highly structured environment, with a consistent and
predictable routine, and a structured and visual approach to develop his learning, play,
language and social communication skills."

IME this is saying special school. They can't create a highly structured environment in typical mainstream schools and they can't guarantee staff that are experienced in ASC.

That's the sort of language that was used in my DD's Statement and they were intending her to go to special school. They can't say it outright because you have the right to a mainstream education for your DS unless it would be incompatible with the efficient education of other pupils.

That's what I am hoping! But I need to get it to be much for prominent than it is. This isn't in the body of the EHCP and I'm going to challenge and ask for it to be placed in the relevant section.

So far the schools I have spoken to have said they will reject him based on his needs. Honestly I could cry both with worry he'll have no school and with happiness that they can see he cannot be placed in mainstream.

A range of difficulties including... does this mean there are ones not listed?

Receptive and expressive language ref, has there been a speech assessment? Provision?

Sensory processing and fine motor, has there been an ot assessment? Provision?

Toileting and dressing, what can he manage If anything? How are these to be addressed where is the provision to meet the needs?

Difficulty following routines, does he require visuals, visual timetables etc? If do who will provide them? What are they trained in? How often will they be checked for relevance?

Is the EP suggesting adhd with some of the difficulties as a comorbid? If so has he been assessed.

How does the ep know the above? Have any proper assessments been carried out so that progress can be monitored?

Addition support? What is this? What does it look like? Is it person, if so could the school caretaker do it if no one is available? If a person How many can take the position? Skills qualifications?

In the cafa only needs are required in an ehcp (law) not strengths. Some LA'S list strengths but really they are needs, they do this to limit the provision required. Regular review? When by who? An ehcp is reviewed either 6 months or yearly depending on age this is when provision and needs should be reviewed. Do not allow such wording as it could allow provision to change without an ar and therefore without your right to appeal.

Small group teaching? How many children? Where? When? How often? What for?

Appear to, may appear not to then.

Skills and knowledge of asc could mean they've watched a programme on BBC. What qualifications?

What strategies? Who is responsible for delivering them? Who will review them?

Differentiated curriculum? How is it differentiated? Who will differentiate it? On what basis especially if no formal assessments have taken place.

Very woolly and not good enough fir an ehcp.

Meant with best of intentions

Provision in section f still has to be specified, quantified and detailed regardless of if special school setting.

Toileting and self help/ dressing should go as a need in section b with provision in f too to meet the need.