Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the first hurdle!

I’ve been patiently waiting but it’s always in the back of my mind. Will the local authority grant my request for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for my son?

Many people told me it would be a waste of time applying for an EHCP because he’s bright and meeting all age-related expectations academically. This is very true but he struggles every day to access the curriculum. He struggles to access the curriculum because it’s difficult for him to manage his emotions, he struggles to organise himself and his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can hinder his ability to focus.

He manages at primary school, but I worry how he would find the transition would into a secondary school provision. Secondary school is a whole new ball game – several teachers per day, moving to a different classroom every hour and attending a much bigger school.  

We’re extremely lucky that one of our local schools does have a high functioning autism provision. The child attends mainstream school but gets the specialist support they need from the specialist function.  I met with the head teacher of the specialist provision. As she explained how it worked, I realised how perfect it would be for him.

So, I felt I had to try and get him the support…if I tried and didn’t get it then I have done all I possibly could! If I didn’t try I would never know…and if things didn’t work out for him in secondary school, I would wonder if I had let him down because I hadn’t applied!

So, I applied…6 long weeks ago. People have told me to put it to the back of my mind, try not to think about it but it’s always there.

The whole process takes 20 weeks. After 6 weeks you are informed if the local authority is going to assess the child further. If they decide to progress they then carry out a more detailed assessment on your child and will let you know if they are going to grant the EHCP after a total of 20 weeks.

So the 6 week mark is here – the first hurdle. I called the local authority last week to see how his application was progressing. The lady went to check on the application and when she came back to the phone and said ‘I’m pleased to tell you, we are going to be taking the application further…..’ I instantly felt a huge amount of relief, they wanted to assess him further, I am one step closer to getting the help that he needs.

I know the journey is far from over…it’s long, it’s stressful and it’s a lot of work. Please send your positive thoughts for stage 2….I’ll keep you posted!