I'll try to keep this brief. Apologies if this is in too general a section but I didn't know where was best to put it.
My DS is autistic but in a mainstream primary school with a statement of SEN entitling him to an LSA for most of the week etc.
I'm also autistic and dyspraxic but don't receive any support accordingly, partly due to only being diagnosed very recently.
The school hosted a routine Team Around The child meeting today, at which I knew the Educational Welfare Officer would be present due to refusal resulting in DS's attendance being so low. I was told not to worry as prosecution would be last resort with support being the first.
The EWO's dialogue, however, began with the statement that I could be prosecuted. I told her I already understood that, but waited for her to detail what she could bring in terms of support to the table. She only continued to say that this was based on a report by the county council home school link worker which stated that she couldn't engage with me due to a missed appointment and that my case had been closed.
This was news to me. I do recall missing one appointment - not uncommon for someone with such difficulties - but as far as I was aware, if anything it was this home school link worker who had been absentee from the last TAC meeting, which I later understood from the school was due to being on sick leave. At no point did her office contact me directly to explain this but I assumed that she would be in touch in due course and that I would not have to chase her up as well.
As a very private person, having trusted this woman to come into my home to work with myself and my son despite having to endure the constant role changes and base offices moves, usually with no notice or notification, which makes it so difficult to even establish support, by this party and most of the long list of others we work with, I refuted this. I was, however, so shocked, concerned and distressed to be recorded as unco-operative that I had to leave the room.
Apparently in my absence, the EWO explained that the LEA may have to take over my DS's education. This was not repeated for my benefit by the EWO upon my return.
When I did come back, I told the EWO the above and also that while he had been absent, I'd made all efforts to engage him in discussion and work related to the school topics he was interested in as well as having requested and received a pack of work from the school when he was definitely going to be absent due to sudden illness. She did apologise and tell me that what she'd said would be a worst case scenario, also admitting that she didn't know how she fitted into the meeting.
I'll be looking further into this subject later, I've worked with IPSEA during the statementing process before and am thinking that an autism advocate could come in very useful but other than conducting everything in writing or audio-recorded meetings to make sure I'm kept in the loop, I've come away from the meeting no wiser regarding what will actually be happening regarding the EWO. I know I need to calm down before I can do anything because I'm feeling very betrayed, am almost breathless with anger and still shaking now, but I have no idea where to go from here.
I hope this all makes sense to someone. Thanks for reading