pathfinder form (single assessment framework) - wtf? Why is the form written like this??

[hazeyjane]

Ok well i know why the form is written like this, but I just don't understand how it I am supposed to fill in questions like

"what people like and admire about me"

"what is important to me"

"How best to support me"

"My hopes and dreams for the future"

etc etc

I understand that this is supposed to be from the child's/young adults point of view (ages up to 25), but trying to fill it in with ds - 2.4, global developmental delay, no speech, possible diagnosis of rare chromosomal disorder, etc. Looking at the info provided all the info in the form, will be put together to write a one page assessment of what the child needs. Why can't dh and I just write our one page of how we see ds's needs and put it together with the reports from ds's therapists/paeds and nursery. Why does the form have to be written in such a patronising, fudgy way.

Anyway my question is, when you apply for a statement through the normal way, do you have to fill out a form like this? This is a pilot scheme and I'm not sure whether it is best to go down this route or the traditional route.

Hampshire's parental contribution guidance has always had this sort of question. Having said that, there is (was?) no legal obligation to use the form supplied by a LA for your contribution

"https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/0581-2001-SEN-CodeofPractice.pdf SEN CoP 7:85: LEAs should also seek to ascertain the views of children and young people as part of the
assessment."

I would think it would be quite appropriate to simply state what in your view is needed to support him, and a general sentence about how he likes to squidge his poo through his fingers

"SEN CoP 7:85: LEAs should also seek to ascertain the views of children and young people as part of the
assessment."

Hi hazeyjane, this is exactly what I've been trying to get across to the profs who've drafted the form for my pathfinder (I am a parent rep on my local pathfinder).

Sounds like you have a similar form, supposedly written from the child's point of view. Are there cutesy pictures and childish typeface too ?

Anyway, to get back to the point - you should have a key worker who can guide you with the form and anything else you're not sure about.

I guess the equivalent form would be Appendix A (Parent's views) and Appendix F (Child's Views). Sitting on the fence here, you need to decide whether it's best for you at this stage, to go down the pilot or traditional route. Were you asked which route you wanted to take? Did you receive literature beforehand? Did someone come to visit you to talk through the trial?

Personally speaking, my ds is undergoing assessment now and there's no way I would go down the pilot route.

Thankyou, we have got a lead professional, who is coming over tomorrow to help fill out the form, but I wanted to go through it with dh and try to preempt some of the work. I think what i'll do is write a sheet with dh tonight and ask the lead professional, how they want the answers worded (blimey it is all such a roundabout bloody way of doing things!)

Iceflower, i was given leaflets and talked through it before hand, but I have no knowledge of the 'normal' statementing process to compare it to. Ds's portage worker said that the main difference is that it is supposed to all happen in one meeting, rather than the 6 week minimum assessment time. (The thing is this means nothing to me, because I don't really know how the normal system works, and what the pitfalls are of it). Can I ask why you wouldn't go with the pilot scheme? We have been told that if we want to switch over to the normal statementing process if we want to, now or midway through the process.

So, as I understand it, we have to fill out this form, have the relevant reports from paeds, geneticist,SALT, physio and ot ready, call as many people together for a meeting (which is supposed to happen in January) - and bobs your uncle! Am I being hopelessly naive to think that this will work and that ds will get an appropriate Statement?

Not all pathfinders are the same, in that they may be trialling different parts, for example, mine is only trialling direct payments for social care.

From a personal point of view, there are a number of reasons why I would go with the current system.

The intention of the pathfinder trial is, you are right, to get the right profs together in order to reduce the number of assessments; but how would that work? A child needing assessments by the medical professionals you have listed would probably still need to be seen individually. Even if by a miracle they were all gathered together in one place, in one day, would a child cope with this extended assessment?

The current statutory time scales are there as a protection for the child, and intended to be a maximum rather than a target ; with the pilot there is no time scale and the process could drag on for whatever reason, and you would have no recourse.

Decisions taken at ONE meeting can lead to a parent being under pressure to agree to a plausible sounding plan, which may not meet any/all the needs of the child. The parent would need someone knowledgeable and independent to guide them.

With the current system, the proposed plan can be scrutinised before being finalised.

However, one of the advantages of the trial is that you are allocated a key worker which is very helpful for families that need a guiding hand through the system.
I think you need to chat through this with your key worker, and only you can decide.