Q:
Did you navigate the Needs Assessment/EHCP process without having to appeal? If so, what helped with your success?
SEND Kids
Support SEND Kids
02 May 2021
A: SenseCheck
- 2 Yes
- 0 No
- 0 Other
- 19 May 2022
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Yes
Complex
My top tips would be:
1. Make sure you understand the legal tests / criteria that need to be met for a) an assessment and b) an EHCP
2. Make sure you have good quality evidence regarding needs and provision required. Independent expert reports can be very important but are not essential. Look at school reports, reports from other treating professionals or carers.
3. Make sure the deadlines are followed - the process can take a long time without any slippage.
Polly Sweeney
Rook Irwin Sweeney LLP - 15 Jun 2021
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Yes
Complex
Yes we had a smooth process. The key drivers to our success were:
- the school were incentivised to get the EHCP through: my child was very disruptive and they knew they could not cope with him
- a dedicated SENCO who did his research (having never done an EHCP before) to find out what was required
- before we even started the assessment process we had already had a couple of rounds of observations from professionals and the school implementing their advice: this allowed the school to prove that they needed more support than they could provide on their own so the panel could not come back and say "well you haven't tried XYZ so do that before you come to us"
- as parents we were very involved in the process, attended all meetings with professionals, and read all their draft reports with a fine tooth comb, challenging anything that we didn't agree with and rewriting the draft EHCP where required.
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