Transfer from SEN Statement to EHCP

[ASDMum1973]

As a volunteer for a SEN Charity I am receiving an increase in numbers of parents calling to advise that support is being removed on transfer to EHCP from SEN Statement without any evidence to support the removal of the provision. I have just experienced the same with my LA removing all (yes all!) of my son's Speech and Language Therapy at Amended Statement of Secondary transfer and will now be headed to Tribunal for a 4th time.

I am interested in hearing if you are experiencing this loss of support. Another one that LAs are doing is to claim they don't have to specify the hours in the draft EHCP - watch out for that as support must be specified and quantified - none of the "access to" and benefit from" woolly wording.

And finally the typical one that many parents aren't aware of; LA's not putting SaLT and OT as educational need and putting it in the Health section. There is case law to support S&LT and OT being an educational need so don't let them do this to you as you cannot appeal what is put in the Health section.

Look forward to hearing your comments

Frizzcat, to be fair I've only seen one Lewisham EHCP but it was staggeringly bad. They put all the provision in Part E, which is the Outcomes section and which you can't appeal against, and Part F was around 6 lines which mainly described the child's difficulties. With any luck they've improved, but I would suggest that when you get the draft you contact SOS SEN to see if you can get one of their advisers to look at it.

My daughter in law is just about to do the first statement for my grandson who is 3 and has suspected cerebral palsy. We don't really know what the statement is all about, but reading everyone's comments it seems to be a very important process. Can you explain what it is exactly and how it will likely affect my grandson so I can pass the information on to my daughter in law.

ritarothwell, I suggest you and your daughter in law have a look at the information on the IPSEA website. Also SOS SEN run workshops for parents, they may have one on the process for getting an EHCP (the replacement for statements).

Thank you for your advice. I will look at the suggested websites.

Hi All,

My 6 year old son is in mainstream school with 1:1 ABA support. We went to tribunal before he start Reception class and got this support.
We moved to another LA after Reception class. His ABA support is continuing now.
Now, he is in the process of changing to EHCP.
We just had Initial transfer review meeting two weeks before.
We would get draft EHCP in 12 weeks.

My son's attendance is a problem because of lot of sick leave from tutor. I have only one tutor and the other one was constantly changing. So, school raised this as an issue and I am trying my best to find tutors now.
But, I just got a letter from LA that they are going to decrease ABA support and transfer him to school TA because of less attendance in school. The letter says that this decision is final and we could go tribunal with this.

I know only after final EHCP, they would ask to go for tribunal. But, is it right that LA is sending just a letter about this decision and ask us to go for tribunal without even negotiating?
Also, EHCP conversion has just started and the support is in place till I receive final EHCP. I don't know why LA send this letter suddenly.

Please help if any one faced this problem already.