Moving to the UK from Canada - supports?

[Patterjen]

Hello all! Manic work move back to the UK from Canada this summer with 3 daughters all assessed autism (UK passports). It's all sudden and i'm in the huge hustle of trying to look at schools, areas to live, all of it. At the center of it all is the huge question of supports and what is available. In BC we are allocated some funds for therapy and i'm trying to factor that in to the expense of it all. I'm not sure yet if our assesment will be accepted there or we will have to re-test (i'm seeing both outcomes - if anyone has done this i'd love to hear!), but once we have an accepted assessment can anyone give me an idea of what the supports are like there? In BC we get around what would be £4k a year for therapy and tutors.
Thank you for any help!!

The majority of support is based on needs rather than diagnosis. For more detailed answers you will need to say which home nation you will be moving to because the systems and what is available differently between the countries.

We will be moving somewhere on the outskirts of London. 2 are light needs - one more comes across painfully shy so having therapy is necessary for her and the other is very quick academically so it's more strategies for her. But my middle has a harder time all around though still "high functioning" - socially has a very hard time with cues and has dyscalculia/dysgraphia/adhd. Was beat up in school terribly last year so it's going to be a hard transition no matter what. All the fun things.

There are several elements.

Education

The vast majority of support in schools is based on needs. The few exceptions are things like some ASD specialist schools/specialist resource provisions require a diagnosis and the specialist autism teaching service in some areas requires a diagnosis.

The majority of pupils with SEN are supported at a school SEN Support level. What schools can provide at a SEN Support level varies school to school. The school can’t refuse to accept the diagnosis just because it wasn’t from England. The validity is less likely to be questioned if it meets the NICE guidelines (you can find these online).

A smaller number of pupils with need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This is a legal document that sets out a child’s needs, the support they require, and the school they will attend. An EHCP can provide more support than what is typically available at a school level, e.g. 1:1, therapies &/or individual tuition if it was required for their SEN. To get an EHCP, you first request an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA). The process takes at least 20 weeks. Many have to appeal also, so it then takes longer.

IPSEA and SOSSEN are charities. They have lots of helpful information and model letters on their websites as a starting point. It will also help you to read the SENCOP.

Social care

You will be able to request social care assessments. A carer’s assessment for you and assessment of DC’s needs. Contact is another charity and has information and model letters on their website.

You will also be able to look at the local short breaks offer. This provides support/groups/activities for some disabled DC. You will be able to find the offer online by googling the council name and ‘local offer short breaks’.

Health

When you register with a GP, you will be able to request referrals to things like Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), OT, SALT. In some areas, you would be able to self refer to some/all of these services. Without an EHCP, therapies will be dependent on the normal NHS offer, which is unlikely to offer regular therapy sessions on an ongoing basis. Is your DC with ADHD on medication? If so, you will need to be referred for this (or go private - but if you do this you should be aware not all GPs will take on shared care, so if affording private prescriptions on an ongoing basis, you should ask the GP first). The service will then review the diagnosis (in some cases, they insist on a new assessment) before prescribing.

Benefits

After a while of living in England, you will be able to apply for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for DC. Assuming DC are over 3 years old, you will be able to apply once they have lived here for 6 months within the previous 12 months. Cerebra (another charity) has a helpful guide for DLA. If any are 16, it would be Personal Independence Payment (PIP) rather than DLA, which has different rules - I am happy to expand if it applies to you.

That is all so helpful! Thank you!