EOTAS

[EJ68]

My daughter is 16 with an EHCP which now states EOTAS. She has no qualifications yet due to lack of suitable placements in our previous home in Northamptonshire. I have been given no advice on how to present a EOTAS package request and we’ve just moved to Leicestershire County who are being really difficult about funding for anywhere within Leicester City Council (which is where all the educational settings seem to be!). She needs to do Functional Maths and English in order to progress to college or get a job. Any advice please?

Is EOTAS what you/DD want? Or do you/DD have a school/college you want named in mind?

EOTAS packages are bespoke to the individual's needs, so it will depend on DD’s needs and interests. What does she enjoy doing? Provision in EOTAS packages needs to be detailed, specified and quantified in F, so what is in F already?

For example, think about:
Tuition - English and maths. Can also include other subjects more traditional but also less traditional subjects. Although some EOTAS packages don't include any formal tuition if it isn't suitable.
Therapies - e.g. SALT, OT, physio, animal-assisted, art therapies.
Exercise/sport (can also help with things like emotional regulation, motor skills, mental health) - e.g. gym membership, dance lessons, tennis lessons, horse riding.
Socialising - this could be at structured groups such as a drama group or Rangers or it could be less structured with a budget for, e.g. trips out or a gaming cafe.
Preparation for adulthood/mentoring - accessing the community, shopping, budgeting, cooking.
Alternative provisions such as care farm or forest school.

Then move to thinking about equipment/resources/memberships/subscriptions and professional time.

It can help to make a table with needs, provision, provider/hours/cost, outcome.

There are providers in Leicestershire county council. However, providers being outside the LA doesn’t prevent them being funded even if that is what you are being told.

EndlessLight, thanks for responding. I can’t find anywhere in under Leicestershire County Council that can take my daughter. They are either full or saying they cannot meet her needs. It’s pretty rubbish because she’s not disruptive in any way 🙄. I will just have to make up some sort of chart thingy and email it in. That’s if I don’t have a full blown mental breakdown first 😩

Provision (whether that’s via EOTAS or via a school/college) doesn’t have to be within the LA. That is the LA giving you incorrect information.

I’m not sure if you mean you want EOTAS but can’t find providers who will take DD on. Or if you mean you actually want a school/college but can’t find one. For schools/colleges, unless they wholly independent, you don’t need the school/college to agree to being named and on its own being full is not a lawful reason to refuse to name your setting.

Do you have a finalised EHCP at the moment? If so, when was it finalised? If you have a finalised EHCP with section I left blank for EOTAS, the provision should be in F. If it isn’t, you must appeal.

EndlessLight
Sorry for not being clear.
DD has a finalised EHCP and section I is blank for EOTAS.
Section F states “Special Educational Provision”
Leicester College won’t accept her on their Launchpad course because they say they cannot meet the needs of the EHCP. They say they need the EHCP to be reviewed and amended before they will consider.
My benefits for DD are about to cease and I am a single mother which is why I must continue with the route of EOTAS. I have found a place called Trans4m in Leicester that will cover English and Maths. Also a guitar tutor for guitar and Bass (DD wants to progress to a music college course next year) so this is important, plus gym membership for health and well-being.
Am I able to claim for fuel to get her to these classes? It’s a lot of driving! And I suppose I can claim for guitar strings etc? This is a total minefield to me 😩
Thankyou so much for your help x

If the EHCP has been finalised, you must appeal whether you want to pursue a placement or want EOTAS. You don’t need the college to agree to being named, but in order for DD to attend, they must be named in section I.

While E&M tuition, music lessons, gym membership and resource/equipment (including guitar strings) can all be part of EOTAS packages they need to be detailed, specified and quantified in F. If it isn’t in F, it doesn’t have to be provided and isn’t enforceable. And, if they are to be funded by a personal budget, they must be in J.

You can be paid mileage. However, the LA can not compel you to organise, facilitate or deliver provision in F. So, you can look at having a TA/LSA/mentor to take DD (and stay with her for some or all of the provision if necessary) or having a taxi (and escort if necessary) funded. Or depending on DD’s needs, independent travel training may be suitable.

You can still receive child benefit and CTC/UC.

Ensure that Section F (or J if you are requesting a personal budget) is as detailed as possible and hours per provision are quantified.

It should be 'and J' not 'or'.

MNHQ removing the whole comment from earlier today rather than just deleting the post that was advertising makes my last post look strange.

Have you contacted IPSEA? They're good with support and advice. If your daughter has an EHCP they have to meet it, the EHCP is a legal document, make sure they're aware that you know this. Leicestershire are known for being awful but stick to your guns and always record all meetings and calls as they're not great at the truth.