Moving to another LA with a SEN child

[Minty0014]

I’m looking for advice/experience of anyone who has moved to another LA with a SEN child.

For context, my son has profound disabilities and complex medical needs (Angelman Syndrome) and is 2.5. I am a single mum and currently live with my parents for support but I’d like to move back to where I was living and where my son was born which is about 2 hours away (I moved back in with my parents when caring for him as a newborn with complex needs became very difficult).

It’s a huge decision to make, I know. Whilst I have a fantastic support system here with family, my parents are getting old and they are already struggling to support me with my son and his needs. Where I want to move to, I have some great friends also who would be willing and much more physically able to help me. Looking to the future future there is a fabulous assisted living facility for adults with profound disabilities within the LA so moving back there would be advantageous in that respect too.

we are currently going through the EHCP process, he has support from LA physio, OT and SALT as well as SENDIAS physical disabilities nursery teachers who work for the LA and support with things like the EHCP, nursery placements etc. I would look to move once his EHCP has been finalised just to avoid that faff.

but in terms of moving, we would need to get all those therapies/professionals set up under the new LA. In addition he is under a community paediatrician, neurologist and geneticist at the local hospital which I’m assuming would need to be transferred to the hospital down there (ironically the one he was born in).

does anyone have any experience of going through the above process?

If you move LA with a finalised EHCP, the new LA will become responsible for the EHCP. However, the new LA will then review the EHCP and potentially amend or even propose to cease to maintain. You will get the right of appeal, but it is still something you need to be aware of. They may also decide to reassess.

There is no way I would base a decision to move on adult services when your child is 2.5. Things change. Placements open and close. The system changes.

I think you would be mad to move at this stage - sorry. Your new LA might give you nothing at all and even in the best case scenario you'd be back at the bottom of lots of waiting lists.

Something else to bear in mind is that while it's not happened yet, there's been discussion at policy level of taking away parents' right to appeal EHCP decisions so if that does come in during the next few years you could be really stuck.

Although it wasn't the point of the show, a recent episode of "Sort your life out" on BBC featured a family with triplet boys all with additional needs who were stuck in a too-small house as they couldn't move away from services and education placements. It's not uncommon. When you have a decent area (sounds like you do) stick with it!

I also don't think you can count on friends. They could move or acquire caring responsibilities or ill health themselves.

make sure you keep all of that paperwork to hand in a file as nothing seems to transfer over in nurseries, schools or the la