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.

noodle5, I think you are being overly defensive. What are you scared of? These people want to help you.

A handful of child abuse cases among home educating familes is a problem. Every child matters. Other children other than Khyra have suffered abuse at the hands of home educators.

Not wanting to interfere has caused countless deaths of children in the UK. Yes, I believe that these checks should be law for home educators. The UK system is far too lax.

SardineQueen I would have to know now whether the hearing test conducted routinely in schools by the school nurse are exactly the same as the ones conducted in a hospital. Does anybody know if it's the full test as conducted in the hospital with an Audiologist and sometimes an ENT expert? Or if it's just a short one that can be done at the GP's clinic or over the phone or online as described via the link I've just posted above??

well I don't think the Health visitor wishes to visit your home in order to police you, but would have to if necessary.

ReallyTired Well so far, all the so-called public cases used to justify the intervention of authorities in HE families' lives have not really involved real HE-ing families at all. Cases like Khyra Ishaq and Victoria Climbie were about children who were not HE-ed nor even registered as such. I wonder why the government twists facts to suit their agendas.

And I would have to agree to disagree on your point about checks being law for all home educators. If they did that then they clearly place more trust in a school teacher's judgment on whether a child is at risk at home or not, from their behaviour at school, than in a HEor's ability to parent properly. FYI most abusive parents would not have the patience nor commitment necessary for HEing and would never even consider it.

I do not HE. I totally get where the OP is coming from.
Its not very nice to be called defensive or hostile. But hopefully, its simply because those posters have not been through one iota of the nonsense we had been through, on our 'medical 'journey's' with our children.

part of policing is protecting ...?

Floggingmolly But... they don't have to come to my home to do so. They can just check my children's health records at the GP. I'm sure they are able to do so, aren't they? What sort of "net" is that they are trying to make sure I don't fall through? If they are just afraid I am not aware of the hearing/sight tests available for children, well they can just send a nicely-worded letter offering these services for me rather than just saying "We want to come to your home at such and such time. Do let us know if that's inconvenient or not, and we will reschedule." with the implication that this is the only way it's done and that it's something I cannot refuse.

I think you need to be careful that you don't come across as defensive otherwise they might become suspicious. Even in school these things aren't compulsory, for example I opted dd2 out of the height and weight screening - she is under dietician and hates being measured having done it so often in her little life. There was no benefit to her and the potential distress was not worth the hassle. They have never offered eye tests, vaccinations mine only had recently - in hospital arranged through GP, again no hassling from them. The hearing test I have agreed to, though dd2 not happy, but as I pointed out to her, if she always did as I ask - e.g. Get dressed the first time it might be different!!!

I would consider letting them come the once, but say that you want the hearing test done on that occassion and you will consult your GP for other health issues.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the 'Khyra' case, they weren't actually home educators, but just taken out of and withdrawn from school?

Julie, or somebody else, will have the stats or references, but home educated children are thought 'less' at risk of abuse than schooled children.

You're right Lyraedu. That's what happened in the Khyra Ishaq case. Just that some people still think it's to do with HE and use it as an excuse to justify intrusion into HE families' lives.

The letter is offering you the opportunity to take up health services that are usually offered to school age children. Usually the school nurse would meet with parents in the school environment but yours do not attend school and so she is offering to see them at home.

This is not any kind of inspection and so, unless there is information that you are holding back, there's nothing more to it.

Health services do vary according to area and so the fact that other posters haven't seen a school nurse isn't significant. In some areas every child is offered an appointment similar to this.

Children's interests should come first, not parents. The health service may have options available to you that you were not aware of. Ie sure start groups, funding or trips or he groups. They come once. They see your kids are happy and healthy and don't have apparent sn that you may not see, being that you are there every day. They offer you services, you say no thanks, they go away. What's the problem?

Khyra Ishaq was withdrawn from school and Victoria Climbie attended school. Drawing comparisons with these sad children is not helpful to op, imho. Neither does home education = child abuse, if a parent is committed to it, HE it's a much harder road to take than sending a child to school.

only4tonight I don't think anyone is disputing here that children's interests come first. I am HEing in the first place because my children's interests come first. However the LAs and NHS may have different ideas of what constitutes "children's interests". I'd be glad if they did exactly that - "I say no thanks and they go away". We'll just have to wait and see now won't we?

By the way, I am already a member of my local HE group for years and I know about all the activities going on there. I don't need the school nurse to come tell me that. I would be very interested however if the LA does at some point offer any funding to help us out with the costs of HEing, though that is just a pie in the sky... so nope, don't think they are going to be of much help anytime soon.

but why should it be a home visit in order to offer services? I don't get home visits for my schooled children, I didn't get home visits before they started school (and not always being seen by "professionals"). Although I didn't get home visits when we Home Edded either, which was quite surprising as my LA were well-known for trying to make home visits compulsory.

And there have been no reported cases of children being removed from school in order to/because of abuse that the LA/SS didn't already know about - that's where the system falls down, not because a parent doesn't want a HCP to visit their home for no good reason.

but why should it be a home visit in order to offer services?

My point exactly IShallWearMidnight :)

How do the LA or NHS know that you're putting your children's interests first? Do you think that abusive parents ring the LA and tell them they're abusive? How on earth do you think the authorities find out whether or not children are at risk?

As a survivor of abuse I find your attitude chilling and upsetting. It's not about you, it's about children out there who are being abused (not your children, obviously) and who need that contact from outside people to pick it up. A child who goes to school every day is seen regularly by multiple trained adults so the potential for abuse to be picked up is good. A child who doesn't go to school needs a point of contact to ensure that they are being well looked after. There is nothing sinister about that - it is in the child's interest and if you have nothing to hide then there is no problem.

The main purpose HVs exist is to pick up abuse before the child goes to school. The reason HV contact ends at 5 is because most children are at school at that age and so are in contact with other adults regularly. A HE child doesn't have that outlet and so the health team make visits for the good of the child. And yes, it is all about policing and all I can say is it doesn't matter one bit if you don't like it - parents are in no way or form guaranteed to look after children properly and yes, they do need to be policed and I am happy as a parent to be policed, I am happy that unlike me, my son has authorities looking out for him. He is a lucky boy.

Fair enough CailinDana. You're happy with the policing, I'm not. Just have to differ there. But I don't think that just because some parents are happy with it, the ones who are not have to endure it too. Unless you are working from some "Greater Good" principle in defense of "parent-policing". There needs to be some clear facts established though, as to how much good this sort of "policing" actually contributes, or whether it uses up a lot of taxpayers' money for a not-so-significant result.

There has got to be a better way of ensuring at-risk children are being picked up, without forcing all HE parents to endure home visits on a regular basis and being made to think that just by the fact they HE, then they are automatically not presumed innocent until proven guilty. Schooled children's families don't get home visits rolled out routinely. Why should HE children's families get them? So the LA's think that a possibly overburdened school teacher who has 30+ odd kids to look after, will be better placed to spot potential abuse going on at home? My daughter was bullied in school so much it hurted her entire confidence. She only recovered after HEing, has gone on to achieve Distinction in her dance exam which, prior to HE, she was so afraid of what everyone thought of her that she would not dance or even speak in public at all. Her school teachers did nothing for her. When I complained to them about the bullying, all they did was "reassure" me one by one that I have absolutely nothing to worry about and that she is perfectly happy at school.

The reason the letter has that tone is because if you say "Please ring to make an appointment" most parents won't, especially not abusive ones.

A parent takes a child to the GP for a specific reason, and the GP doesn't see the home environment. By visiting the health team member has the opportunity to see the conditions the child lives in, which is just as important as their health.

Well if that is the case as you say CailinDana, then wouldn't sending out a non-threatening letter offering to "ring to make an appointment" a much better and more cost-effective way of weeding out the abusive parents from the ones who are not?? i.e. going by your theory, abusive parents won't ring, non-abusive ones would??

Abuse does fall through the net, and I agree some schools are utterly rubbish at dealing with problems, particularly bullying. But I can't see how it can be safe or wise to allow a parent to pull a child out of school, say they're HEing them and then never have another person visit or check up on that child ever again. What if that child is being abused? What outlet does that poor child have if no outside adult comes and checks up on their educational situation and living arrangements?

Visits like these are not 100% effective at picking up problems, granted. But they at least mean that some children are protected. Frankly in my book if one single child a year is a saved from abuse by the system (and I'm sure in practice it's a lot lot more than that) it's worth it.

I can understand how you feel that it's intrusive, but like I say, it's not really about you. You're good and conscientious and are doing the best for your child(ren) and the visitor would see that and not be concerned. They would tick you off the list and move on. The service doesn't really exist for you, it exists for all those children out there who are beaten, starved, live in terrible conditions and who are kept out of school on the pretence of HEing when in fact they are working for their parents (in the case of one child I taught).

CailinDana - so presumably you'd be happy for a state dietician to come and inspect your fridge just because some parents don't feed their children properly? How are you going to police children's diets properly if a professional doesn't see them in their home environment to make sure?

FWIW DD3 saw a HV once, at her 2 year check up, held in a village hall with around a dozen other DC playing with random toys. HV had no direct contact with her, only saw her fully clothed, we were there for 20 minutes tops. How is that supposed to make sure she wasn't at risk? The system judged me perfectly capable of looking after her, without a home visit. Ad afaik, she hasn't seen a school nurse either, although I think the weighing thing happens next year (Y6).

You don't come across as hostile to me, OP, just questioning. It is very important you don't give any impression of being defensive or hostile to the School Health Service though, or you will get hassle.

I would add to any letter of reply an invitation for them to write back to you setting out the services they offer that they think you might find useful, for you to keep in mind. And why not-if they do offer something better or more convenient than the GP service, why not use it?