SA parental report. What am I supposed to include in this please?

[zen1]

DS is currently undergoing SA and the LA have asked for a parental report. They have given us pointers for what to include, e.g 'what was your child like as a baby?', but I am unsure if I am supposed to write what I want for him in terms of support. I want to make a strong argument for him to have 1-1 in mainstream (have already been told not to bother by LA worker as he is unlikely to get this level of provision), but do I do this in this report? The way they have worded it is confusing me.

Thanks

Hampshire send a document with the request for Parental Advice. I found it very useful when doing DD1's document.

A strong argument for 1:1 support is fine to include, if you think that it is needed.

Thanks Lougle. He has done very well with a SIPS worker at his pre-school, so I would like this level of support to continue to ensure he continues to make good progress.

Well, ensuring good progress won't cut it What you'll need to do, is show that without 1:1 his progress will be halted/slowed down unacceptably. Bear that in mind when you complete the document.

Also, bear in mind that even the most positive question can be answered negatively. So, 'what are ds's strengths?' - DS is very determined and will push himself to succeed. Unfortunately, this often means that he doesn't recognise his limitations and can get himself into danger. With the support of his SIPS worker, he has been able to enjoy challenges whilst maintaining safety'

That's very helpful, thank you. Feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. Mainstream pre-school have written a lovely report, but it is a bit too positive. All the things he has been able to access/achieve there have only been possible because he has had an excellent SIPS worker who has pushed him into trying things he wouldn't have gone near if left alone (extreme tactile defensiveness). Meanwhile his SN nursery have underplayed his capabilities to the extent that they are recommending a unit placement for him (which I don't think will meet his needs). I want to write a piece that stresses that I think he will cope in mainstream but only if he has a large amount of support. It is hard with these conflicting reports.

Don't worry too much about that at this stage - this is your assessment of your DS.

My PA said something along the lines of 'I don't know if she needs special school, or if she would cope at MS school. I won't consider MS school unless she has 1:1 from the moment I drop her off to the moment I collect her. Whatever you do will cost you a lot of money, but if you give her the provision now, you might save money later, and she's worth it.'

Having said that, I was willing to push it, because I wasn't convinced MS was right for her, despite all reports suggesting it. It would have been much harder to do that if I had really wanted MS, because the real gate-keeping is around SS, Units, and 1:1 support.

I submitted a word processed document with lots of different headings - very early on, comments from the HV, the various delays in her development, social skills, motor skills etc. I included literally everything. She was only 3 at the time so a lot of it was fresh in my mind anyway. I also put in some reports we had had done which showed how delayed her development was.

Thanks both. Unfortunately I only have till 3rd Jan to submit this, so I am stressing about it, not wanting to get anything wrong or undermine his needs.

If you use the document I linked to, you may well find that your arguments make themselves

Does he need 1-1 (or even 2:1) for things you do at home/ out and about? If so, make sure this is in there, eg
the church crèche keep bringing him back cos they can't manage him in the group;
when we visit the in-laws one of us has to be glued to ds at all times,
we use reins when out cos he climbs out of the buggy
i cant risk trying to visit the park unless dh comes too.
The mother-toddler group made it clear he wasn't welcome till his biting reduces

Hi Zen,

I was strongly adviced not to involve parent partnership as there would be a conflict of interest; this is a legal document and parent partnership is employed by the LA. So they would be assisting in a report against their employer.

You can write it as a report. Explain what your child is like, as mariamamma suggests, write exactly what provision you would like for your child. Have a look at specialneeds jungle, there is excellent info on there.

All the best.

Thank you for the replies (my router stopped working on Monday so have only just been able to log in again). Lougle, I have looked at the document you linked to - some useful ideas there, thanks.

No chance of me involving Parent Partnership as when I tried to phone them before the holidays , they were out having their Christmas lunch! I left a message, but needless to say, they didn't return my call.

Well, I've got 2 days to write it now, so I'm hoping the pressure will make me do it!