What help can DD get from EHCP?

[custardbear]

This has all happened so quickly I'm not sure if IM coming or going at the mo, all very new to me!
In a nutshell, DD 13 has tics and anxiety for a few years, been to paeds team at christmas who referred her to specialist team, but that's not for 6 months. Think that led to her mask dropping and she's fallen apart, self harming, talk of suicide. CAMHS saw her very quickly thankfully, and at our first meeting this week specialist nurse thinks she's ASD (she has her own child with ASD and used to diagnose children in her last job so I'm sure she's right).
DD was so anxious, CAMHS triage nurse spoke to me for about an hour, then DD for the same, then set up the emergency cy appointment. DD said she can't keep herself safe, and triage nurse spoke to school and they signed her off school til appointment this week.
Specialist nurse at the CAMHS appointment this week was great, said she'll sort official assessment, said they'd get an EHCP - my question is what can we get from the EHCP? Can we get provisions for her to work mainly from home? I think I'll get her to school for sone lessons (nurse said this will be led by DD but she did feel she needed sone schooling to address social anxiety and hiding at home wasn't a solution which I agree with), but school full time isn't going to work for her.
She's very into art and wants to do graphics and animation, can we get a grant for specialist laptop for art (software and touch screen?)
Capability wise she's always been pretty average, her report this week was good, about a third of her subjects have working above expectation so she's academically ok (though that will drop if I can't get her to school.
Will we be allowed to work from home for the majority of time? Can EHCP help tuition at home or in one to one settings? Her tics and so bad, we're realising how much she's been hiding now she's home and starting to calm down and open up to who she really is.
So many questions!
TIA

What is included in the EHCP depends on DD’s needs. It can include therapies such SALT, OT, MH therapies - art, music, equine, Lego…

If there isn’t a suitable school for DD it is possible to get an EOTAS package. They are completely bespoke, but can include tuition (e.g. 1:1 home tuition, online 1:1 tuition, online schooling, small group tuition…), a mentor/TA/PA, other provision (e.g. care farm, forest school, supported work experience, sports, music lessons, drama lessons, cooking lessons, ELSA), therapies (SALT, OT, CBT/art/Lego/music/drama/animal assisted/gaming therapies, hydrotherapy/aqua therapy, rebound therapy, physio), equipment (this is where the laptop and art supplies could come in or sensory equipment, assistive tech), memberships/subscriptions. The possibilities are numerous. An EOTAS package doesn’t necessarily mean hiding at home, but it doesn’t have to be in a school setting which is very difficult for some to cope with. the aim of DS1’s is to increase his independence and access to the community but at a pace he can cope with.

A mix of school and alternative provision can also be arranged. Although unless using a set AP provider is often more complicated to achieve.

Separate to the EHCP process, if DD cannot attend school full time at the moment the LA have a statutory duty to provide alternative education under s.19, the Education Act 1996. They should already be doing this.

Thank you @Imitatingdory
School didn't know about ASD so prior to her being signed off school, they had only really been encouraging her to come back slowly (to which my DD self harmed more and started talking about suicide and jumping off things), but not offering her any working from home. CAMHS nurse said that their approach should change after they get the letter from CAMHS so hoping we can at least have mostly home schooling and a bit of going to school whilst they do the EHCP.
I've no idea what to expect or ask for so I'll keep posting here and a group on Facebook abs get help.
Thank you

It isn’t the school who are responsible for medical needs tuition, but the LA. It should begin once it becomes clear the pupil will be absent for 15 days, you don’t have to wait until the 15 days have passed and for ongoing conditions they don’t have to be consecutive. I suggest you email the Director of Children’s services and ask for provision under s.19 of the Education Act 1996 to be provided. The suspected ASD isn’t really relevant as provision should be based on needs rather than diagnosis.

Thank you, she's been away more than 15 days anyway so I'll chat tomschool next week as I've asked for a meeting. I believe that CAMHS are sorting the ECHP but will check once the letter comes to us and email that person next week

Thank you - I believe there's a conference on 30 March that's been advertised on this page so I may try and attend that to get as much info as possible
Thanks again 🙏🏻💕

Unless CAMHS are going to act quickly, which they don’t always, I wouldn’t wait for them to apply for an EHCNA. You can apply yourself so you know it is done quickly, IPSEA have a model letter you can use.

Even if school won’t help organise medical needs tuition the duty lies with the LA so contact them directly.

Personally, I would look at SOSSEN’s webinars and IPSEA’s courses and both their websites rather than the that advertised here. The conference advertised on here is by Redbridge’s SENDIAS service, and while some SENDIASS are helpful many repeat the LA’s unlawful policies.

Great thanks for the tips and I'll look for the other conferences - no point in wasting a day leave and £24 😁

@Imitatingdory the more I am learning the more I think EOTAS would work for my DD. She just isn't able to cope with noise and stuff going on around her in a closed space, we went to Wagamama last night and it was fairly quiet but she just shut off completely, it's becoming evident that as her mask is breaking away my little girl underneath is really not coping 😖

In terms of EOTAS, my experience is that this is very difficult to prove, The legal test to be applied for this decision is:

Section 61 CAFA 2014 (1) A Local Authority in England may arrange for any special educational
provision that it has decided is necessary for a child or young person for whom it is responsible to be
made otherwise than in a school or post-16 institution or a place at which relevant early years
education is provided.
(2) An authority may do so only if satisfied that it would inappropriate for the provision to be made in
a school or post-16 institution or at such a place.
(3) Before doing so, the authority must consult the child’s parents or the young person.
The Local Authority must therefore be satisfied that it would be inappropriate for the provision to be
made in an educational setting such as a school or post 16 institution.

What this legal jargon looks like in practice, is that the L.A will consult your preferred choice of education, but as par for the course, they will also consult with various mainstream settings to rule out the possibility that your child can be educated in a mainstream school. What could happen, is that one of these settings have a positive consultation and say "we can meet need" if that happens, you'll end up going down the route of an appeal. I would advise contacting your local "sendiass" service who can take a referral for you and help you put together a solid EHCP request. The key thing with this, is demonstrating in your supporting evidence why a physical school setting isn't appropriate. Any reports from the school or other professionals involved with help strengthen your case.

Regards,

Newdad2022

Custard When you get to the point where you are pushing for EOTAS if you need support start a thread with EOTAS in the title as there are several other posters who also have DC with EOTAS packages, including a poster who has 2 DC with EOTAS, some needed to go to Tribunal, others didn’t.

Be careful with SENDIASS some are good, but too many aren’t and are the LA’s mouthpiece. For example, there’s one where the LA say they don’t do EOTAS and SENDIASS tell parents that but there are DC with EOTAS in the area and FOI requests confirm this. There’s another who insists they don’t fund EOTAS via DPs and their SENDIASS repeats this but that isn’t correct either. IPSEA and SOSSEN are better.