Issues tracking, ehcp transfers & more for young people

Issues Tracking, EHCP Transfers & more for Young People 15th March 2015

Dear All With the exception of the first two items immediately below, this bulletin has a focus on some of the 'older' young people (year 9 and above)...

Old & New First, a pictorial reminder of the planned differences between the old system and the new:

Richmond SEND Family Voice (RSFV) Issues Tracking Log This sounds serious... and it is. As a group, RSFV now keep an 'issues tracking log'; this means that we record (and anonymise) every query we get via e-mail, telephone or Open Meetings and the answer (or not) is logged. Wherever we can find an immediate answer, we do. If not, we have a note of it to raise with the appropriate people/organisation. Hence the final sentence at the end of these bulletins.... we always do our best to find an answer.

It's also helpful for us to note what the common themes are and also to build a bank of knowledge. Over time, we should be able to put this (and these bulletins) onto our website it's just a matter of the time to do it!

EHCPs and Statements for Year 11 and above...

The transfers of Statements to EHCP's continues to be a developmental process for the SEN Team, parents, professionals and all involved. Received wisdom is that it's best to invest time

now in getting the early EHCPs right (or as right as they can be) in order to learn as much as possible from the process and the families involved.

The first group of Statements transferring to EHCP's must be completed by end of May 2015; if the young person is in years 11,12,13,or 14 and is moving into a further education college or an apprenticeship or independent specialist provider. * If the young person is remaining or going to 6th Form then their Statements will remain in place and will be transferred by the end of August 2015. The young person could be changing their education provider e.g. leaving Waldegrave and going to 6th Form at Orleans Park, but they would keep their Statement as it is a school move - not a move into further education or training.

If a young person has a Learning Difficulties Assessment (LDA) and wants to apply for an Education, Health and Care Plan, then they must request an assessment using the Young Person's request for assessment on this page: http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/children_and_family_care/send/about_send.ht m This process differs from the transfer of a Statement to an EHCP in that it has to be treated as a new request. The SEN Team don't have a choice in this; it is as directed by the Department of Education.

Should you have any queries on the above, please contact Gill Higgins via email on gill.higgins@achievingforchildren.org.uk * not university. Funding for university is currently managed through the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). Here is the link for DSA: https://www.gov.uk/disabled-studentsallowances-dsas/eligibility Year's 1 and 5 are also going through transition and their Statements must be transferred by August 31st 2015.

Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) - resources The PfA people produce some really good, clear resources for young people with SEND as they move from children's services to adult services (aka Preparing for Adulthood - which begins in Year 9). The PfA website includes (under the resources tab): PfA Review - a good practice toolkit It's quite long at 55 pages - but the type is large and there are plenty of diagrams. Page 17 onwards explains the different sections A-K of the EHCP and how to use person centred thinking tools in completing these. These tools are described in the appendices. The document also explains the differences between Statements and EHCPs and the importance of a young person's aspirations.

Into Apprenticeships "Into Apprenticeships is a new guide for disabled people, parents and key advisers about applying for apprenticeships in England. It deals with common questions such as how to find an apprenticeship, whether the training will be accessible and what support is available in the workplace." ...and the link to the PfA website: http://preparingforadulthood.org.uk/

Dept for Education on Supported Internships - announcement: "Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will be helped to make the difficult transition from school to the professional world thanks to a new ÂŁ5 million government initiative, announced today (12 March 2015).

People with the most severe forms of SEND can find it difficult to enter the world of work, with an employment rate as low as 7%. However, a government trial of supported internships resulted in 36% of students with SEND gaining paid employment. Today’s funding will help thousands more young people receive this life-changing support." https://www.gov.uk/government/news/young-people-with-send-to-benefit-from-5-millionwork-scheme As ever, should you have any queries at all, please ask and I'll do my best to find an answer.

With best wishes, Romany www.richmondsendfamilyvoice.org Tel: 07469 746 145