Confused, and advice needed: EHCP application

[brightbelle]

Hi everyone,

I would like to get some advice regarding applying for EHCP, as I fail to get answers from the people who have been involved in my dd's development

My dd is recently diagnosed to have ASD and she will be starting at preschool in an independent school in September. We plan to apply for EHCP once she's settled at the new setting, and I'm now in the process of preparing and gathering information. Here are my questions:

1. She will need a lot of 1:1 support to achieve her potentials as she really struggles in group learning - is this something we as parents can request on the plan, or should this be specified by any of the professionals in their reports?

1. She had been to some speech therapy sessions from the borough but as we found them to be slow and not effective, we haven't gone back and my dd has been receiving therapies at a private centre instead. To apply for EHCP, does it mean my dd will have to go back to the NHS's speech therapist to get a more updated report regarding her situation?

1. I only realise that the application process may not be as straightforward as we thought after coming to this thread, and I told my dd's EP that we would like to start the application process right after dd's moved to the new setting. However, she insisted that the process only takes 20 weeks and there should be ample time to have the plan in place before DD is offered a reception place in a state MS. Is there anyway I can argue against that and start the application as soon as we want? We will need the EP's report to support the application.

Many thanks for any advice and thoughts!

You can apply for the ehcp yourself now through your coucils website- I wouldn't wait until September, you might as well apply now. If the council agree to assess your dd for an ehcp they will instruct the educational psychologist and they will have to come out to do a report. It is not up to the educational psychologist. The whole process is supposed to take 20 weeks but in my experience it usually takes much longer! Ours took a year from start to finish!

The purpose of the ehcp is to determine how much support your dd will need (in hours if mainstream) or what kind of specialist provision might be needed if mainstream isn't appropriate. You can put your views across as to the amount of 1 to 1 support you feel your dd would need and the kind of school you would want. The council have to keep your views in mind and will also collect reports from all professionals involved in order to write the ehcp.

The council may decide to accept the private salt reports or they may decide to instruct their own NHS speech therapist to do a report. You can send any reports in you wish and the council will make a decision.

Ipsea website have great advice and information about ehcps.

And if they dont agree to assess you get the right of appeal.

Thanks very much for your reply Fairylea this is very useful. My dd is moving to a new setting next month I don't know if her current nursery is happy to get involved and write a report for us to support the application - I read the information for EHCP and it says stage 1 is from week 0-6 in which reports from early years setting and other professionals will be gathered to determine whether my dd will be assessed for EHCP. I was led by EP to believe that only after dd has started at the new school we will be more clear about what she will need support in a school setting generally speaking (her current setting is more childcare like) and that's why we planned to wait to apply later. But after coming to this board and seeing that the process can take so much longer than expected we are concerned, but the EP has not been helpful. She assessed my dd a few months ago but so far I haven't received any report or recommendations on how to support dd. I just have no one to turn to.
I planned to call IPSEA but it's summer term now they only operate limited hours. I will try to call them next week when their advice line re-opens.

Do you think I should simply go ahead to apply now, regardless of whether dd's current nursery is happy to write a report? She's leaving in a month's time.

Many thanks!

Thank you Ineedmore. Yes that's our concern too, it will take longer if they reject assessing dd at the first instance. I hadn't thought of this possibility before, as dd's NHS salt sounded very confident that dd will get a plan the last time we met, and her EP told me the process takes only 20 weeks and can't see why I need to apply sooner ... I thought everything is going to be easy and straightforward.

Hi everyone again, I wonder if anyone knows how important it is to have the school's report in applying for EHCP? As said dd will move to a new school next month and I'm going to tell the school we will apply for EHCP but we want to make the request ASAP and that means the school may not be able to contribute given such short notice and I'm afraid that would be a definite NO from the council. Can't ask the current nursery to contribute I guess as dd is leaving and it's more like childcare and they are not experienced in doing this kind of thing.

Any advice will be much appreciated!

You can ask current setting for all paperwork showing her development, what strategies they used etc. If they won't give it to you then you can do a subject access request. Look at ICO website.

SOS SEN's advice line is still running on a limited basis. They also run workshops on the whole EHCP process, you might find it useful to book for one of those.

Thanks youarenot I have asked dd's current nursery to contribute and they are happy to do it. But I've sought advice from SEN that contribution from her new school is important too as needs at a proper school setting can be different from a day care centre. Looks like I will have to wait, will push EP to make the request once dd has started at new school.

Thanks Judy I will check that out. I remember looking at the timetable of their appointments or IPSEA online and none available this coming week. Will have to check again.