Anyone applied for an EHCP for a 16+ year old?

[Runningtokeepstill]

I suppose I want to know is it worth it or will it be just more aggro with a set of institutions that aren't even remotely interested?

Is it likely to take so long that he'd only get assessed when he's 19 or 20? He needs some support now.

Ds is 16 and has had severe health problems since aged 9 but was never assessed for a statement or EHCP. His first secondary school wouldn't even treat him as having special needs as he "didn't have learning difficulties" and despite him having been diagnosed, assessed and treated at GOSH, so no lack of information and evidence, the school pretty much ignored anything they recommended. We weren't even allowed to see the SENCO. Ds's main issue is that his health conditions cause very poor attendance.

He was then HE'd briefly when my dh became seriously and then terminally ill. He returned to school half way through Year 10 (he started so late into GCSE's partly due to the need to appeal to get a sympathetic school). The new school was much better but I suspect it wouldn't have been worthwhile looking at EHCP then due to the timescale before he left (no 6th forms at our schools).

Post 16 is a nightmare. His first course broke down because of his attendance and wasn't helped by the college treating him as though he didn't have anything wrong. I've complained about this, got a reply that was full of inaccuracies (the most charitable description I can find for a report that bears no relation to what actually happened). I escalated the appeal but after the hearing 3 months ago they are ignoring me and have not given me minutes of the meeting or any response. However, from the hearing it was agreed that ds was allowed to start one A level course which he had to join half way through and catch up on. He's struggling with attendance still and some of the work has to be done in college so this course may be about to break down too.

There are no schemes outside college that are not either work based (can't do due to attendance issues), involve high levels of physical activities and residentials (they won't take him) or involve massively underachieving (studying at level one when he's already got 5 CGSE passes at C+ including English and Maths).

I've emailed the special needs team in the LA but no-one has got back to me. College had previously given me the email of an individual in the team but all contact with them comes back as undeliverable. I feel that everyone just hopes we'll go away and stop bothering them. I'd asked the LA about an EHCP before but was given the standard "don't bother he won't qualify" reply.

I'm exhausted as since the age of 11 when GOSH bowed out it's been an ongoing struggle to get any NHS support locally and I'm currently paying for private physio and psychological help for ds. It feels like he's got no chance of a future as he cannot improve his health on his own and if it doesn't improve he cannot access education.

[Ineedmorepatience]

Look at the IPSEA website, young people over 16 can apply for an EHCP in their own right!

Does he agree that doing a level 1 course would be underachieving? In theory yes it is but if it could begin his journey in a direction that he wants to go then why not! He might be bumped straight through the the level 2 if the staff felt he could manage it! Just a thought!

Sorry the system has let you and your son down so badly!

Good luck

[Runningtokeepstill]

Thanks Ineed, I'm not sure he's up to applying for himself at the moment.

Yes he does think it would be under achieving to do a level one course as the ones he's seen (not even in our home town so involving quite a bit of travel) are not courses in a subject - they are about "employability" plus very basic maths and English skills. He's been told he'd be exempted from the maths/English bits due to having the GCSE's. A lot of the employability focus is about turning up regularly and on time, which he can't do anyway. The rest seems to be mainly doing work placements but it's acknowledged that he probably wouldn't cope with that currently either.

There is a course where they don't go on work placements but write essays about PSHE type topics such as why drugs are a bad thing. I know you can argue transferable skills but to do it he'd be expected to travel on a bus, train, then another bus to get there for 9 am and as he's too stiff and pain ridden to get into the college nearby on a daily basis even with me driving him in, then I don't see this level 1 course being more accessible or offering him much at all. Intellectually he's capable of studying at A level he's just got health problems getting in his way.

He could study at home but he's already socially isolated and it doesn't count for Child Ben and related benefits if he starts this now which would cause problems if I'm to continue being around to help him with transport and even just getting up. So if like to find a way of him keeping something going at college. And also the possibility of him spending more than the allotted 3 years at college if needs be without having to pay his own fees.

[NoHaudinMaWheest]

I applied for EHCP for dd (nearly 16) and was refused. However she is in school regularly and has support from her current school.
I don't think you have anything to lose by applying. At least you are then in a statutory system where they can't just ignore you.