Need help with SEN?

[SENhelp1982]

Hi all, I am an Assistant Principal for Inclusion at a large Academy and am also a fully qualified SENCO. I’ve got a quick question for you all: I spend a lot of time helping parents find the help they need for their children with SEN or guiding them through EHCP assessments or educational psychologists reports etc. I’m thinking of setting a business up to help with this and wondered if you guys feel it would be worth while. Any thoughts gratefully received. Thanks Simon

Well it depends. Who would pay for your services? Parents or the LEA?

I’m not sure I like the idea of cashing in on parents looking for support for their child.

The plan would be to get government funding, depending on whether that would make it viable would depend on if/how much parents would have to pay. EPs, SALTs etc already charge obscene amounts, the average is about £500 for an assessment and report, I’m afraid with the complete lack of funding in the state sector more and more care and advice is becoming private now, even mental health support is going private as CAHMS is underfunded and understaffed so can’t cope with the demand.

Surely any EP worth their SaLT who write a report, will also take the parent through it.
I suspect there would be a correlation between anyone who isn't able to understand the process when it is explained by school SENCos etc in the first place , and folk that wouldn't be able to afford to pay for such a service.
If you think the Government would provide funding to buy into a private company to do the job that the school SENCos already do, you are living in another world.

How would you get government funding? They already fund SENDIASS. There are also sources of advice and support for parents through charities such as SOS SEN, IPSEA, NAS and others.