Early Years Intervention Panel appeal, not sure where to start

[WhizzBangPhlebas]

In July we went through the CAF process to apply for 2 hours a week 1:1 for ds (now 4yo - ASD + language delay) at nursery. All we did was fill in the CAF, there wasn't any evidence submitted & I know that the panel didn't contact the SALT or paed.

We got the panel verdict this morning 'refer to Pre School Support Teacher Service' - i.e. no funding. Nursery have appealed & want us to do as well.

Apart from the funding issue I do not want the teacher service involved, I declined their 'support' last year & made it perfectly clear to everyone that I would not have them involved in any way (they have a policy of actively undermining ABA & we have a good working relationship between ds' nursery keyworker & our tutors).

Is there some kind of pro forma letter I should write? DS hasn't had any recent formal assessments except for a CELF (which showed a massive receptive language delay), should I send them a copy of this?

DS is doing an ABA programme at home & is doing well academically but still has delayed self care skills (can't dress himself & isn't toilet trained yet) and needs an adult to facilitate peer relationships.

The nursery is private if that makes any difference & ds will not be attending (he was actually due to start this past September) school when he leaves nursery at Christmas 2011.

Thanks!

ok I've written a letter outlining ds' main difficulties - personal care, receptive language delay, expressive language delay, risk of harm (language/sensory issue mean he doesn't report injury), problems with peer relationships, anxiety re transitions - and saying how each of these requires substantial individualised input & without that he cannot be safe let alone access the curriculum. Should I say that the extra time & support he requires is disrupting the other children? Ds is passive in that environment.

I've quoted his CELF assessment results (should I include a copy of the report?) and also specific difficulties re nursery environment that our psychologist noted.

I've said I'm not happy with the referral - I'm not sure how to say I want them to give nursery the money though. Should I just say I want them to reconsider the decision not to fund 1:1 do I need to say how many hours we want or anything like that?

I'm not really sure, but bumping so someone else might be able to help.

What panel was it who refused this?

Not sure if it's the same system as us (though we're in similar situations, ds 3.6, at private nursery, doing ABA, supposedly under care of Early Years team who have so far done zilch except raise eyebrows at ABA!). Our nursery are in the process of applying for Early Years Action + funding, while we as parents have just applied for SA (hoping for a statement by the time he starts school next year).

Anyway, I would say definitely definitely definitely appeal! If they had virtually no information to start with (just a CAF form which IME is not worth the paper it's written on), the extra evidence you can provide can only help. Plus the assessment results (I'd include those too) and any other reports from pysch etc. The fact that the nursery are also appealing is great.

thanks Bialystock :)

I have absolutely no idea who they (the panel) are or what they are supposed to do, our health visitor has no idea either - I can't find any mention of them on our LA website. dh is going to call them tomorrow & try and find out exactly who they are. We were originally told that the funding was coming through Aiming High but apparently not.

I've said I want one to one for the whole time he's there (we've just increased his hours this week actually). I refused to answer most of the questions on the CAF as they were totally irrelevant & I wasn't prepared to have our privacy invaded to that extent - probably didn't endear myself to them.

Here they are:

As from September 2010 Learning Difficulties and Disabilities
(LDD) and Early Years Services will operate a single point of referral for all pre school
children accessing any LDD Early Year?s service.

A panel has been set up which consists of a group of Early Years professionals and
service managers who will meet on a monthly basis, initially, to assess the needs of
the child and their families and signpost to the appropriate service. This panel can
only be accessed via the completion of a CAF form and then forwarded to the Early Years Intervention Panel

enlightening

Ah, one of those panels of professionals who decide the support your child needs having never met him, then

Good luck with the appeal. Are you applying for a statement too?

No, not a statement, he won't be in school (we electively HE) after nursery. We're fortunate that we have a HE flexi-school near us & ds will be attending there with a tutor a couple of sessions a week to work on social stuff while we carry on with everything else at home with his sisters :)

I emailed them a copy of my letter & also posted it recorded delivery - an hour after the email I got a call saying that the funding had accidentally (!) been rejected because the case worker who knows ds (yup without ever meeting him/us/nursery/his SALT etc) had been on holiday when it was discussed! She's taking it back to the panel next Wednesday, but while he's a high priority we should be aware that they have no money.

Absolutely ludicrous!

just thought I'd update - we got 6 hours a week (I'd asked for 9) 1:1 starting from January 5th, I'm okay with that because nursery have provisionally agreed to have a tutor shadow the rest.