Letter from School Health Service - wwyd?

[noodle6]

I received a letter from the School Health Service. I'm not quite sure how to respond but clearly the LA had informed the Health Services (or the other way round?). Only my eldest DD is "known" so far - I withdrew her from school 2 years ago, and I now have another DD who turned 5 last Sept so I am guessing they are writing that because of my younger DD. This is so stupid because we have been using the GP services for any queries and health-related matters for the 2 years we have been home educating. We have had no need for any further meet-ups with health staff. Why would anything need to change now??

The letter, which is sent from a neighbouring Children's Centre which we never used, says :

"I am a Child Health Practitioner working within the Integrated Children's Team, working with children aged 0 - 19 years. I understand that your child/children is/are being homeschooled.

I would like to visit you and your child/ren at home on 09/07/12 at 14:00.

This will be an opportunity to discuss our service, offer any screenings and provide support with any health-related issues.

If this appointment is inconvenient I would be grateful if you could contact mee on the above telephone number so I can arrange a more suitable time.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

XXXXXXX
Child Health Practitioner

(signed) XXXXXX - Assistant Practitioner"

How should I respond? I think I'd better respond in writing. I just need some ideas. Should I say "Thank you for your offer, but we have been using the GP's services for support in health-related issues and are very happy to continue as such. I do not see the need for any additional health-related services."?? Or is there a better way to put it?

Any suggestions or thoughts about this appreciated. TIA.

Yes, they'll probably offer nothing you couldn't organise yourself, but maybe they need to check that you actually will organise it? You sound incredibly hostile.

Floggingmolly - I sound "hostile"? In what way?

And that's exactly the point - Why would they feel the need to "check up" on my ability as a parent to organise trips to the doctor or the opticians/dentists?

Does the LA or the NHS (which by the way, are both tax-payer funded and for the service of the public, not to police the public) have the automatic right to check up on every parent? And especially HEors? Who by the way are actually doing them a favour by not utilising state schools and have no access to public funds for their own homeschooling expenses, and hence saving the LA's money, yet continue to pay taxes to fund the state school system - well we do anyway, since DH earns a decent salary)??

I think the LAs and the NHS have to first clarify what exactly are they there for. To police parents? Especially home educating parents? Or to provide a service? These are two very different things. The letters they send should make it clear it is a service - unless the T&Cs have already changed without us knowing.

Why are you so anti the school nurse? Do you have something to hide?
I imagine it would be a bit like the health visitor for big kids. Although its rare childen have been home ed to cover up child abuse. Its understandable why they are pro active in wanting to see you.

Prehaps this initative would have helped these children and little Khyra would not have starved to death. I would go as far as to say I think the governant should make the visit complusory for home educators.

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2871069/Abuse-survivor-pleas-for-home-schooling-to-be-monitored.html

Hearing tests are very difficult to carry out on children. You are living in la la land if you think a GP can test hearing or you can test hearing over the telelphone with a five year old. The school nurse can also carry out tyrimetry to see if a hearing loss is conductive (ie. glue ear) She can help with other health issues.

It seems to me now that if I question the system in any way, then I appear "hostile" to some of you here??

Just to say that I never thought my DD had any hearing problems but she has had her assessment at school recently which came back "not able to hear the full range" and they retested her at school 2 weeks later (in case it was a cold or something interfering with her hearing) and that came back not quite right as well. And so we are waiting for an appt at the clinic at the hosp to have a proper look at her.

Just to say that hearing difficulties are not always obvious to the parents. We had no idea.

Well ReallyTired, it is indeed very rare that home ed has ever been used to cover up abuse. It would be interesting if you could come up with more than a handful that has happened in England which do fit this type of scenario you are describing.

Khyra Ishaq by the way was never officially registered as a HE kid.

Her mum just took her out of school without notifying the authorities that they are HE-ing. In fact, she wasn't HE-ing anyway, nor intending to.

Please quote some other more valid examples of HE being used to cover up abuse in this country.

They are not policing you, they are ensuring that your children's health needs are being met.

Thanks SardineQueen. I would refer my 5 year old DD to the Audiologist for a full test through my GP.

noodle6 about your last post - it's a service so why do they act like it's compulsory type thing.

yes it's a service but it's for the benefit of children and to make sure they are in good health and any problems are picked up early so as to be treated. So while in theory you can opt-out, in practice they want to check all the children to check they are OK and don't need any treatment for anything / are developing OK and all teh rest of it.

there is nothing inherently wrong with that.

My daughter has health screening at school, yours don't attend, so they are ensuring that they do not fall through the net.

recall How is that not policing then? Is that a question of semantics? What does "ensuring" involve and how is that carried out? If that means having to intrude into HEors' lives in order to interview, assess, interrogate, etc... then is that not some form of "policing"?

Why would you want to take up the time of a hospital doctor, to perform a standard test which is normally done by a child health practitioner?

Well okay, point taken. I will write them a letter back telling them I will access all future services - hearing tests or otherwise - through my GP. It's not like we are living on a deserted island where no one ever comes into contact with us. The kids in fact, have just seen the dentist last month for their 6 month check. If after writing that letter, they still insist on seeing us at home, then that's another different matter.

no it isn't policing, it is carrying out a duty of care. Ensuring involves being certain. Being certain involves assessing the children. How else can the Health Visitor know that the children's health needs are being met ? The common method is not happening - at school, so this is the way in which they can check. Fuck ME ! are you stupid ?

SardineQueen Well similarly, why would I want to take up the time of a Child Health Practitioner by having a home visit, if she could be utilising that precious time to visit the homes of children who are at risk??

Why don't you make an appointment to see the health visitor at the surgery ?

recall You say carrying out a duty of care and assessing the children = "Ensuring". And you say that "Ensuring" is not "policing". Then tell me what on Earth is "Policing" and what it involves then? If it's so different from your idea of what "Ensuring" involves?

I'm not stupid. And I wouldn't call you stupid ... yet.

but how would she know they were at risk if she could not asses them in their home environment ?

That's ridiculous recall. How would she know if they were at risk? How would she know if any child is at risk really?? Unless she invites herself to everybody's home right? Yes, why don't they do that?

Well I suppose the Midwife does initially.

And you still haven't explained how your idea of "Ensuring" is not the same as "policing". What does "policing" HEors involve? And what makes it different from your idea of "Ensuring"?

noodle because that is her job.

You are trying to access the services of the hospital team to carry out a test which is normally carried out in a much cheaper way. Why do you think it is OK to bypass the usual procedures like that, and demand a "full test" from a doctor at a hospital (v expensive) rather than having what everyone else has?

Some children have been known to tragically fall through the net. The School Health Service are making sure yours don't. What exactly is your problem?

If I were you I would write back to them and say that you have everything covered except for a hearing test and how do they recommend you access that.

You might be able to pop along to a local school and have it done quickly when they are there.

Also, the teachers who see children on a daily basis will be observing them for signs of risk, home educated children will not be observed.