Advise please-Enfield LEA refusing to assess boy with HFA

[Klida]

I am looking for advise/experiences with Enfield LEA. My son is 5 and has high functioning autism (NHS diagnosis). Applied last year for an assessment which has been turned down. Now we are trying again but was told by EdP that it is unlikely that he will be assessed! We had such a bad time with schools and I can t see any of his needs met if they are not stated in a legal document! We had to move him from his initial school due to disagreement with Senco now he ended up in a school with special measures where he is offered "cake" when he behaves! (He tells me quite a lot once questioned at home...).
Please help...did you have to go to tribunal for assessment of your son/daughter with HFA? Are they trying to delay statement to save themselves money..as his struggles will become more apparent as he progress into year 1? And if you do have a statement what sort of support is in there? SLT, OT....etc?

Please help...as I feel really stressed out about him staying in this school for year 1 without any help and without a statement :(.

Hi.
firstly sorry you & your ds are having such a tough time. I would also post this in Special Needs Children section as they are seriously clued up bunch over there!

I am in a neighbouring borough to you.
Enfield are notorious for this sort of thing but Im hearing it constantly at the moment.

Your clued up. You know what your ds needs and he has a diagnosis,which though not right, is necessary to obtain assessment in Enfield, Barnet are very similar.

Most parents who i have met from Enfield end up needing outside help. Have you contacted your local Parent Partnership? The Enfield branch of NAS is brilliant, good source of information. I would seek legal advice if i were you. It was the only way i could get my LEA to take notice.

Sorry i can't be of more help.

The very best of luck.

Many thanks for the reply! I did seek advise from parent parternership and will follow it up in tribunal this time! I am pretty sure they will refuse to assess this one round as well.

This is the field I work in an to cut a very long story short, the sure felt way to assessment is as follows:

Make an appointment to see your local MP at their surgery and explain that your child is entitled under sec 17 (definitive of child in need) to receive an assessment. By refusal if assessment the LEA are denying their adherence to the Every Child Matters agenda and your child's needs are not being met.

The school giving him cake is another battle I'm afraid!

Basically, LEA's shit their pants the minute they see these letters and therefore it will save you a massive battle/stress/headache etc and you will get what you want a lot quicker!

Good luck x

I actually have the details of my MP and was contemplating to complain. But just thought I will build more evidence before presenting my case. The LEA actually refused to assess last year but then they offered 15hr support to my son (that suggests that they recognise he does need 1-2-1 support but giving themselves flexibility!). Unfortunately, they completely messed us around: we waited half of last term for them to put the support in place. My son was therefore disadvantaged as he missed the initial staggered intake period! They then sent someone who was completely untrained and was working against all the recommendations set by SLT/EdP. Thank you so much girls I really appreciate your replies.

Babycino81 would you mind if I message you as would like to have more details?

Xx

Not at all! Message away! X