Hi, my name is Becca27! In the process of applying for a EHCP for my son

Becca27

Hi everyone 
I’m in the process of applying for a ehcp for my 10 year old son , just waiting for a meeting with his school to see what support they are going to put in place as he is struggling to attend , Cahms suggested I applied for the ehcp myself, as I have never written one before I will be looking for advice.
kind regards 
Becca27

poppy123456

HI,

You don't write the EHCP yourself, your local Authority does this and this a process you need to go through before it can be done and the first step is the assessment. There's some information here.

https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/extra-SEN-help

Ross_Alumni

Hello @Becca27

Wishing you a warm welcome to the community, it's lovely to see you join us. 

This must be a very important time for you and your son, and of course it's important to get him the support he needs in education. You might want to contact IPSEA, who would be able to offer professional advice in this sort of area. For example, they have this page about EHCPs.

L_Volunteer

Hi @Becca27

Thanks for reaching out to us. Applying for education, health and care plans can be a really lengthy process. Schools used to do this for families but as you are aware families are increasingly being expected to apply to their local authority for education, health and care plans assessments. I find the Guide Dogs website really helpful and it is a resource I often recommend regardless of the child's SEND because it is really comprehensive. If you are interested, you can access it at https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/getting-support/information-and-advice/education-support/your-childs-education-health-and-care-plan/. There is also a sub-section about social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties which may be particularly relevant for you if your son's difficulties are related to his mental health difficulties. Additionally, I agree with @Ross_Scope about remembering that IPSEA is there for you if you need more personal support throughout the process. Keep fighting for your son's needs to be addressed. I hope this helps but if you have any additional questions or anything else we can support you with then please don't hesitate to reach out to us again soon 

blue63

Hi I am going through  this for my 16 yr daughter   she has been out of school since may 2017  has had home tutoring  since may 2018  till she turned 16 and her tutor  had to stop giving her the home tutoring  this is the 3 time I have asked for ehcp just waiting to see if they will give it to her  she has had no schooling since July 2021 this is just  adding  to her mental health   

Ross_Alumni

Hello @blue63

Thanks for adding your experience here, I really appreciate you sharing what you are going through. I hope the process goes smoothly and promptly and your daughter can get the support she needs. 

I'm sorry to hear that this is adding to her mental health challenges, but it's positive that she has a loving family around her to provide support when she needs it. Is her GP aware of how this is impacting her mental health? Does she have support in place to manage it?

blue63

Hi yes  our GP is on board and we are  going back to camhs on waiting list  she struggles to engage  which is why we can't  get her the help she needs it's so draining but you have to just keep going  thank you  for your reply  

poppy123456

I had dealings with CAMHS several years ago with my daughter and i found them as helpful as a chocolate teapot. Complete waste of 2 years of our life.