EHC plan draft

[Tambaboy]

Apologies if this is being asked before but I don't really know what to do.
We got the draft EHC plan and it's not great. We have a meeting with the LEA next week to see if they would change some of the wording used and include all of DS' needs identified in the reports.

The school and the Autism Advisory Teacher identified sensory integration difficulties as one of his main barriers to access curriculum and they are asking for a sensory diet. OT discharged him back in May and we were told they don't deal with sensory issues anyway, the therapist recommended a couple of books on SI and that was it.

Now the LEA has just mentioned his sensory issues in passing under the Health needs in the current EHC plan draft.

If they don't agree to provision next week is it worth getting a private OT report now? Do LEA accept evidence after a draft has been written? Or straight to Tribunal is our only option?

We have a similar situation with the SALT provision.

I cannot even find private OT or SALT in this part of the country that would do the sort of report needed.

What would you do?

Well there is absolutely no point in having a EHCP if it doesn't state needs and then provision that will lead to outcomes for your ds that aren't available without one.

I doubt that it's worth trying to get private reports at this stage - it would be virtually impossible to find anyone who is any good who can offer an assessment quickly and produce a good quality report in time, and the LA will, unfortunately, probably ignore them anyway. It sounds like your LA is pretty dim - I really don't see how they can possibly argue that sensory integration issues affecting access to the curriculum are anything other than education difficulties - so I fear you are looking at going to the tribunal anyway. It's always open to the LA to agree amendments whilst an appeal is going on, and you could also consider the mediation option.

It could be worth your while making at least provisional bookings with experts now. SOS SEN might be able to suggest a few names.

I would also suggest that you emphasise the points in the Children and Families Act and the Code of Practice which emphasise the aim to achieve the best possible outcomes for children (I think it's section 19 of the Act, I don't know about the CoP); and particularly all the bits which bang on about the need for LAs to listen to parents and take their views fully into account. Sadly I'm cynical about it making much difference, but it might at least make your LA reflect a bit that they are now supposed to be in a brave new world and abandoning the sort of attitudes which led to all the problems with the old legislation.

Thank you for your replies. I guess it's too late to get any decent independent reports now.
I know I'm being naive, but I'm hoping the LEA will listen to us at next week's meeting. The SI issues are explained at length in one of the reports and mentioned in all the others. So I'm hoping the LEA was being lazy instead of malicious. It's worth a try.

icimoi I was going to bring up the exact point you raised about listening to the parents and the best outcome for the child.

I will phone SOS:SEN for that list of professionals, thank you.