Talking, EHCPs & New stuff

Talking, EHCPs & New Stuff 23rd January 2018 Dear All SEND Family Voices are all volunteers and all parents. Our meetings, our survey (below) are because we find navigating the system hard ourselves and, by sharing our experiences and knowledge, we aim to make it easier for everyone…

What matters to you?

As volunteers we would like to know that we are using our time in a way that best serves our community.

We would really appreciate your views on what matters to you. The results will be used to define what we focus our efforts on for the coming year.

There are 5 multiple choice questions in total, the first two are mandatory (you have to answer these), the rest are optional. We’d value your comments as well! https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/WhatMattersToYou/ Oh… and when you get to the end, there’s a prize draw for one of three £50 vouchers!

EHCP news! 1-4 #1 EHCP Transfer Workshop Are you going the process of transferring a statement to an EHCP? Can we help? Our final parent-led workshop is this week: Thursday 25th January – 7pm to 9pm York House, Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 3AA If you are able to register attendance that would be helpful, but feel free to just turn up.

E: events@sendfamilyvoices.org

#2 EHCP Transfer Guidance Here are links to some of the information that we have been distributing to parents at the EHCP transfer workshops.

Remember, the most important sections are B (Needs), E (outcomes) and F (Provision).

Do ensure that Provision is defined in accordance with the Code of Practice – which states in para 9.69 ‘Provision must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified, for example, in terms of the type, hours and frequency of support and level of expertise...

Golden Binder chapter on what should go into the form: https://5f2fe3253cd1dfa0d089bf8b2cdb6a1dc2999fecbc372702016c.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/2 185/05_GOLDEN_BINDER_Detailed_EHCP_Form_Guide_v3_300417.pdf

fyi… the last section of this chapter is under review because of a challenge to the Preparing for Adulthood version of the form raised by some parents - if this impacts you, email us and we can send details of the latest thinking around the guidance.

Golden Binder chapter on transfers Includes what to expect, by when and who does what. https://5f2fe3253cd1dfa0d089bf8b2cdb6a1dc2999fecbc372702016c.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/uploads/ckeditor/attachments/2 177/06_GOLDEN_BINDER_Transfer_v3_300417.pdf IPSEA EHCP Checklist IPSEA = Independent Parental Special Educational Advice https://www.ipsea.org.uk/file-manager/SENlaw/ipsea-ehc-plan-checklist-september2016.pdf Disabled Children – A Legal Handbook Authors: Steve Broach, Luke Clements and Janet Read And you may also find this book helpful (if you’ve a real eye for detail). The entire book is available for free on-line, downloadable chapter by chapter. https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/help-resources/resources/disabled-children-legalhandbook-2nd-edition

#3 EHCPs in the News BBC Breakfast carried a report on the EHCP transfer deadline, which included a report from Richmond. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zsm_fUNYNo There’s also a shorter video on twitter from BBC Breakfast that came out a bit later which can be reached here: https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/status/953160949732642816

#4 MPs Report Separately (to the BBC), SEND Family Voices held an open SEND Forum with the three local MPs in December (Ed Davey, Vince Cable and Zac Goldsmith) – the purpose being to demonstrate the impact of the SEND Reforms on families.

We are pleased to let you know that following various permissions, we have been able to include the full report on our website, here: http://www.sendfamilyvoices.org/booklets-research/

Community coffee mornings Just come along, have some cake and talk. We will listen and offer help where we can.

Whatever you talk about is confidential and will help us plan what else we could do to help our community.

At all our coffee morning we will have information and advice available on these areas: • The EHCP process and transferring from a Statement to an EHCP • Accessing SEN support in mainstream schools • Reasonable Adjustments • Post 16 Options • New to Autism • Online safety • Local knowledge of schools and activities • An understanding of how to navigate the organisations we all have to deal with

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Local disability specific groups

In addition to the above, the different SEND Family Voices hosts at each meeting will have specific areas of knowledge and experience, below is a guide: Monday 29th January – 10am to 12noon at Whitton Youth Zone, 1 Britannia Lane, TW2 7JX Physical disabilities * Home adaptations * EHCP process (incl. transfer) * Inclusion in mainstream school * Exam access arrangements * Moderate learning disabilities * Down syndrome * MLD (moderate learning disability) Schools * High functioning ASD * ASD and ADHD * ASD and mental health (anxiety, depression) * School Exclusion Friday 9th February – 10am to 12noon at Moor Lane Centre, Chessington, KT9 2AA EHCP process and transfer * Post 16 * Kingston Adult provision * ABA/VB * Autism ASD * Out of Borough issues Monday 19th February – 10am to 12noon at Searchlight Centre, New Malden, KT3 3RX ASD the complete spectrum * ASD and ADHD * ASD and mental health (anxiety, depression) * School Exclusion * Severe learning disabilities (including girls with ASD) * AAC (Makaton, PECs and proloquotogo/iPad communication) * Out of borough schools Tuesday 27th February – 10am to 12noon at Castlenau Centre, Barnes, SW13 9AQ Physical disabilities * Home adaptations * EHCP process (incl. transfer) * Inclusion in mainstream school * Exam access arrangements * Moderate Learning Disability * Down syndrome * Clarendon School * Fragile X * ASD related co-morbidities * Language impairment * Paper tribunal * School transition

Who and What is… …the Disabled Children’s Team & Family Support Workers Last year, we held two meeting on specialist family support workers and the DCT (= disabled children’s team). We’d like to thank Rhiannon Doyle who so kindly presented and answered family’s questions on these services. Rhiannon’s short presentation on this complex subject can be viewed on our website here: http://www.sendfamilyvoices.org/useful-documents/

New educational provision – Barnes (and others) Achieving for Children are planning a number of new provisions for our children over the coming years. Each one must all go through a formal and public consultation process.

NB: SEND Family Voices are arranging an open meeting for parents to talk with the Achieving for Children – this is in addition to the on-line consultation below. More news to follow.

“Achieving for Children, on behalf of Richmond Council, is consulting on two proposals in respect of Barnes Primary School, both of which, if approved, would be implemented in September 2019: to expand the school from two to three forms of entry, i.e. to increase its published admission number from 60 to 90; and

to establish a specialist resource provision at the school for up to 14 children with Education, Health and Care Plans whose main presenting needs are Autistic Spectrum Disorders and associated complex needs.” https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/community_information/blog_articles/1694-consultation-on-twoproposals-in-respect-of-barnes-primary-school

Stuff worth reading 1-4 #1 Our interest is family’s interests – so please note this quote from the Special Needs Jungle article: “The DfE wrote to LAs in September 2017, making their expectations very clear – if LAs still have statements on their books after April, then they expect LAs to maintain the provision specified in the statement. And there’s statutory backing for what the DfE is saying, if you dig deep enough into the guts of the relevant legal text.“ https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/zombie-statements-councils-miss-legal-ehcpdeadline/

#2 Euan's Guide features disabled access reviews from disabled people and their friends and families "The aim of Euan's Guide is to empower disabled people by providing information that will give confidence and choices for getting out and about." Euan MacDonald, Founder of Euan's Guide https://www.euansguide.com/

#3 “This film, The Silent Child, tells the story of a profoundly deaf four-year-old girl Libby.

She lives a silent life until a social worker, played by Rachel, teaches her how to communicate through sign language. One statistic that particularly shocked Rachel is shown on-screen at the end of the film - 78% of school-aged deaf children attend mainstream schools without receiving any specialist provision.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42703651

#4 This article is short and sweet – the title says it all perhaps?

“Autism is not the worst possible thing my child could have.” https://theloneautismparent.com/2018/01/19/the-price-of-empathy/

Free Books It’s amazing what you can find… in the oddest of places. Who’d have thought that the Chairman of Timpson Shoe Repairs ran a charity supporting children that were adopted or fostered (he and his wife had adopted 2 and fostered 90 children, plus 3 of their own).

If you go into a Timpson’s now, you can pick up, free of charge, three picture books: • How to create a positive future (despite a difficult start) • A guide to attachment (and how it can affect people’s lives) • Looking after looked after children.

Many parents of children with SEND have children they have adopted and know only too well the difficulties faced by a disability plus attachment difficulties. That said – all good ideas are to be welcomed in our SEND world!

As ever, if you have any queries at all, please ask and we'll always do our best to find an answer.

With best wishes, Romany (for Richmond) and Caroline North (for Kingston) Phone: 07469 746 145 www.sendfamilyvoices.org