Should I apply for statement or wait and apply for EHC plan?

[Jerbil]

Dilemma! I've been advised by DS's psychologist to apply for additional support. Been told by parent partnership we have virtually no chance! Thing is academically he's not brilliant but then does have an IEP for literacy 2 x 1/2 hours per week as he does need extra support here. Diagnosis include ASD/SPD, visual stress, private dx of dyslexia. Additionally, though possibly more to do with ASD, he has started to have OCD tendencies. Refuses to sit on chairs if someone else has been sat there, off washing his hands every 5 minutes, struggles opening doors etc.
School admit they see issues more now than before. He's starting to refuse to do things more often. He has a massive issue with clothes and it takes considerable time to deal with him at times and consistency is lacking purely as they do not, understandably, have the time. He currently has no dedicated funding.

He needs social stories, time out away from the classroom for physical breaks and other OT therapies. He has been needing social communication group for 3 years and for one reason or another it has never been delivered.he struggles to socialise sometimes but not all the time. He has working memory problems, and processing is slow.

He also has chronic constipation and sometimes struggles in class to do with this.

I've basically decided to put in a parental request for extra support unless school announce to me they are about to do it. But I've been told there is now a deadline for submitting a statement request in our area, and if I wait about a month I would be able to apply for education health and care plan instead. By the title I would think the latter may be my better option.

Anyone out there got any insight here?

Thanks

Have a look at the ISEA website - making that initial application is a lot simpler than they make it seem. IPSEA even have model letters. You can put in your application this weekend

What you need is a document that clearly states what educational support your child needs that is legally binding so you can hold people accountable.

www.ipsea.org.uk/What-you-need-to-know/Common-problems.aspx#RequestingAssessment

That comes in the form of a statement for the forseeable future - do not risk getting caught in the limbo of transistion as noone knows yet what the criteria for ehcp's are yet so you may not get one. When they become law LA's will focus on transitioning all those children on statements they already have a legal obligation to over to the ECHP, everyone else risks being at the back of the queue. I wouldn't risk it anyway.

PP are often in the pockets of the LEA so was not really surprised to hear that from them.

Ignore the naysayers and apply for the statement document now. Use IPSEA's website as mentioned for further information.

You are learning if you are not already aware that you are his best - and only - advocate here.

I wouldn't delay. The whole business takes long enough, as it is.

My DD is taking part in a pilot scheme for the EHCP and it is brilliant, we have met so many more professionals than through the statement process and everyone is on the same page and knows what everyone else is doing. The turnaround for statements is 24 weeks but is 20 weeks for the EHCP so the month from now to them switching to statements in your area will be covered by that anyway. I would recommend that you wait.

Also, just to give you an idea, the people who are involved for my DD, are nursery, area SENCO, SENAR rep, Ed Psych, Hearing Support, OT, PT, SALT, Paed and they have all been at the meetings we have had for DD. We have also started using the online early support web app which is an online system which we can all access to update appointments, objectives etc.

But you have no legal right to any of that support at present LadyKooKoo so it could all stop tomorrow and there wouldn't be anything you could do. The OP has already been placed in the "fob off" bucket by the professionals around her. Her child is school aged yours is not.

For those kids missed in the early years, getting support of any kind gets harder and harder the further up the system you go. This is especially true for the invisible disabilities such as those suffered by the OP's child.

All that stuff about a deadline is nonsense. EHCPlans won't have any legal force until 1st September.

We too have been part of the EHC pilot scheme, and have just switched over to the traditional statement process, because it has been such a fuck up so far, and because we weren't fully informed, when we were invited onto the pilot, that an EHC plan wouldn't have any legal weight until September (possibly, unless there are delays - which is highly probable).

Personally I wouldn't delay, I would get going on the statementing process ASAP.

Hmm, thanks for all your comments. Things have changed a little since I wrote the original question. Basically school head has said some promising things about applying for funding. Not that well get it but at least they will apply for it. A massive step. However, is it best to do a parental request or school to do the request? Which, if any, puts us in a stronger position?

its always best to do a parental request. not only does it give you the right to appeal should they refuse to assess, you know that the request has definitely been sent. if school are willing ask for them to provide you with a supporting letter.

So I'm taking it if school do the application and they are told no, that is the end of it?

no - if school apply and its a no - you still have the right to appeal as if you had applied yourself.

We are applying for a statement just after Easter and was told by the SENCO at DH school that we will be applying under the old system as the new one doesn't come into force until September. She did mention that any statements done under the old system at this time will have to be changed to the new wording etc within three years.