Multi Element Plan - is this right??

[WedgiesMum]

Ds is 9 with a dx of able autism (the paed who dx'd says this isn't exactly AS but to all intents and purposes is). No statement yet, although we are currently waiting to see if LA will assess him. He has no support in school at all this year in Y4 and has had some MAJOR behavioural problems.

Sooooooo - after me getting rather arsey with school because his behaviour is seriously deteriorating school called in the new EP who has never met him or assessed him. She came to talk to me at home to see what our views were. At the end of that meeting she said she was having a meeting with school the next week then following that she would talk to me again about what they said and call a meeting for us, school, plus all the professionals involved to draw up a multi element plan.

So the day before the alleged EP/school meeting I get a message from the Child Psych saying that she had been invited and did I know - well, no I didn't. I subsequently found out that the paed had been there, and the behaviour support lady as well. But we weren't invited. We then heard nothing for 7 weeks, school assumed we knew what had happened at the meeting so said nothing. After another major meltdown at school I spoke to school who were surprised we were unaware of what had happened. I then contacted the EP who said she had just finished writing up the notes and would get me them asap.

Today - 10 days later - I get a multi-element plan from the EP which makes it look like I was present at a meeting to agree this. SURELY this isn't right??? Shouldn't we have all been there to discuss this and agree it? There is no section on it that says who should undertake the action recommended or a review date for it. This can't just be it can it??

Can I disagree with it? Can I demand a meeting with all of us there to discuss the MEP? To get some responsibility for action set down and a proper review date?

Would be but am just because the daft cow silly woman hasn't even done what she said either of the times I spoke to her so how does she expect me to trust anything she says in future?

Wedgiesmum,I have nothing to say to help as i know nothing about this but i just wanted to sympathise with the struggle that it is to get anyting for our children!!Life is hard enough without having to fight constantly for seemingly simple things like being invited to a meeting!!
I would say def demand a meeting with everyone-this is YOUR son,of course you should be there!

It doesn't seem right they can decide so much without you present,they should at the very least keep you bang up-to-date on any plans. I'm baffled as to how they can come up with any viable plan without parent input. I'd demand a meeting.

Baffled is a good description Seuss! Have also noticed that on re-reading this stupid alleged MEP that the date it was drawn up is 19th May - 2 months after the meeting at school - how will she remember from that long ago???

When I spoke to school and Child Psych about the meeting they were pretty clear that the decision from the meeting was to apply for temporary funding to get some 1 to 1 for him until we could apply for and get a statement yet EP could remember nothing of this does she think I am stupid enough to belive her and not trust the recollections of 2 other sources?? GRRRRRRR!!!!

It's annoying when all you want is for these people to work with you to help your child. You can't get much simpler than getting EVERYONE in a room at the same time and making sure everyones working to the same plan. Why do they have to make everything soooo hard? And why do they make you feel like you are the one trying to throw a spanner in the works if you dare to question anything??? Good luck WedgiesMum - don't let them side-line you!

WM

Did you yourself write to the LEA asking for your DS to be statutorily assessed?. If you did then you need to give the LEA six weeks to reply to this letter.

If the multi element plan is on a par with SA plus its not worth much in terms of support as SA plus is very limited in its actual scope (though in theory it sounds good). Unfortunately as you have seen no statement can equal no support of any real value.

I would certainly write to the EP and copy in the others saying that you were not present at this meeting and insist that another is held with you present this time around. No proper review date for such things also is unfortunately par for the course - these things are not worth the paper they are written on. BTW such plans should be done termly with you present as and we are now coming up to the summer term another one should be done asap.

I would also contact IPSEA www.ipsea.org.uk and or SOS;SEN as they can give you advice too as to what to do next.

THANKS!

I did ask for the assessment myself Atilla and despite not putting our home address on it they managed to reply within 2 days!They said they are gathering information to decide whether or not to assess from us, school and the EP. I am going to request that they get input from the child psychologist too as he has spoken to her about school. Am in the middle of writing a HUGE letter outlining what school have tried and how far that has failed .

I am going to write to the EP but also get hold of my Parent Partnership worker, who is fab, but I'm going to call the EP too to make sure she knows that she is BUSTED big style!

sorry to hear you're having all this to deal with.
Rx

WedgiesMum, I wrote a HUGE letter and it did work - go for it! (Unfortunately my printer wasn't set up cos we'd just moved house so wrote it by hand and had no way of copying it - my finest moment lost forever!) If you don't do it no-one else will. May the force be with you!

Hiya roisin, lovely to 'see' you. can't you tell I have a new 'no stress' job cos I can come and moan on MN more!!!

Thanks Seuss getting my light sabre primed and ready!!!

Also filling in DLA forms so am 'in the zone' for this. Though am losing the plot slightly and keep forgetting which one I am angry for and which one I am pleading with