In need of good MN advice. Meeting with SENCO next week and very confused......

[fabanflabby]

I wonder if anyone has any advice for me. I finally have a meeting scheduled with a SENCO next week. DS ( aged 12) is possibly on asd spectrum.

In an attempt to pre empt this meeting I have prepared a report highlighting DS's background, history, issues we have had, developmental and medical history from birth, educational history and school reports, highlighting lack of progress at Secondary and the horrendous problems he encountered there resulting in exclusion.
What I am confused about is this:
As I am meeting with the SENCO face to face do I still have to write a letter to the LA requesting assessment?

Do i need to complete a CAF form to give to the SENCO in our meeting?

Also could someone clarify for me the differences between an ILP and an IEP and is it the SENCO's responsibility to action this?

Apologies if im sounding naive but this is a new part of the journey with DS following a year from hell! I want to ensure Im doing everything I can to ensure he gets the best help as he has been let down so badly so far by schools, the LA, LGO, the list goes on!.

Thanks in advance xx

An IEP and ILP are pretty much the same thing, and yes it is the SENCO's responsibility to draw it up and monitor it but the individual teachers to action it.
To all the other questions!
I would hold off on the request for assessment until you have had the meeting, as what is said during it may help with your application, but you may still want to send it afterwards.
I am a little confused as why you would give the completed CAF form to the SENCO, it really should be sent to your local CAF team for them to action, they will then send a copy to the SENCO.

I would have the meeting with the SENCO and write to the LEA in question requesting a Statement for your son. Do that asap, you still need to write to the LEA. IPSEA have model letters you can use www.ipsea.org.uk. Do not let school do this, they could take an age to make such an application.

Has your son been under the care of a developmental paediatrician; this is the sort of person he and you ought to be seeing. Your GP should refer you to such a person.

IEP is the SENCO's responsibility but again its not legally binding and a poorly written IEP is not worth the paper its written on.

Would not bother with any CAF form; that won't address his addtional educational support needs. Its just more meetings and form filling.

Leonie my CAF has never involved social workers, as far as I know they shouldn't either, a CAF is to try and avoid the need for social care involvement.
IME a caf with a good SENCO can be very good, ds1's CAF was done purely for the transition to high school and only ever involved school, went really well, but we did have a very good SENCO and head of year involved.

sorry, slight hijack - what is a CAF? is it area specific? or just an acronym I have wiped form my memory?

thanks - we had Team Around the Child meetings, which sound similar.

I don't see why that would involve social workers, unless they were already part of the team, iyswim?

x-posts. thanks, justa. sounds good. our TAC was organised by POrtage (which in our case was a good thing as our Portage worker was bloody ace), but were reallly just a lot of people sitting around and smiling lots. things got agreed at meetings, but never mentioned again. CAF sounds more organised.

One of the rules of the CAF is that if someone is invited but doesn't come they are expected to submit a report. Additionally, in their absence, the other meeting attendees can nominate them for work.......he he he.

We've never had a CAF. The threat of me requesting one has so far been enough to get some action.

The CAF is registered somewhere, and has it's own complaints process which is usually secret, but if you find the CAF Manager in your LA you can get all kinds of information about tools you just never knew existed in your LA.

I've not yet gone down that road so don't know lots about it yet but the CAF is quite adminy-paperworky for the school and they are obligated to do it if requested.

Thanks so much for all your comments, they are really helpful.

DS is not under medical assessment - that was listed as one of my questions for the senco next week.

This has all happened so fast for us as I have always known he was 'different' but couldnt get the action i needed. He has always had very slight issues and I think when the issues are slight it becomes too easy for schools to put things down to bad behaviour or mums a hysteric!
Unfortunately, with the mix of moving to secondary school, onset of puberty, relentless bullying at school and an exclusion the traits are now unmissable and finally we have got him the attention he deserves.

On the CAF. Again, new to me but something that the senco mentioned to me as a useful too, particularily in DS's case as it gets all parties moving.

Thank you again ladies, I have got such brilliant advice from Mumsnet on this subject and the trauma's we have been through as a family over the last year.
xx

Thanks just,

I did have a discussion with the GP months ago which was clearly a fob off and went along the lines of.

'CAMHS have had huge spending cuts and if I refer DS to them he will just be bounced back to me as 'not serious enough' to take on'.

However, this was before the real issues hit us and months before the SENCO approached us to cement the fact that there are asd traits.

I am going to call the GP today and set up another slot with him to move things forward regarding the medical assessment.

Thanks so much for your advice.
xx