Getting help for your child at school doesn’t have to be a lonely journey

Is your child struggling to keep up at school, and you’re not sure how to move things forward?

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is for any child or young person that has a significant and complex Special Educational Need or Disability. An EHCP is required when a child’s needs cannot be met by the usual support that is available to them in their school or setting.

Many children with SEND receive support in their school or setting without an EHCP, and this support comes from resources already available within the school. This is called SEN Support. Following support at the SEN Support level, some children or young people’s needs may be deemed significant and complex and therefore require an EHC assessment by the Local Authority.

The EHCP process can be daunting to navigate. Amanda provides online courses, group and 1 - 1 mentoring for parents and caregivers who need help to navigate the EHCP process. They realise their child isn’t progressing like their peers, or they can see they are struggling, and they don’t know how to move things forward.

Previous clients have shared that the time Amanda has spent working with them has been instrumental in helping them realise they can stand up for their children. Children who were struggling in their existing setting have now successfully transferred to different settings, or have the right support to ensure that the school is better able to meet their needs. Once again, they are happy children.

As a parent, support from a well-informed third party can make all the difference to how able you are to advocate for your child. The better you can advocate, the better the outcomes you can get for your child.

 Ways we can work together

1

Get Your Child the School Support That They Need: An Online Learning Program on SEN, EHCPs, and beyond

Learn at your own pace! Amanda’s online course is designed to support you through your SEN journey, particularly when you are just getting started and need to understand the support options available to you and how to access these.

If you feel like you need additional support, there is also an option to extend your online learning experience by joining a mentoring support group.  Weekly drop-in sessions enable you to ask specific questions and learn from others who are also navigating their way through supporting their child.  All sessions are run by Amanda over Zoom.

2

EHCP Application Mentoring

EHCP Application Mentoring is perfect for parents who feel the need for some one-to-one support, as they navigate the EHCP Application process. Perhaps you have your own neurodiversity like dyslexia or ADHD, or English is not your first language, or maybe you need some assistance to remain on track.

Amanda works with ten one-to-one clients a year, supporting them through every stage of their EHCP application. The EHCP application process typically takes 6 months. Amanda will review all letters to send, forms to complete and documents to review, and is available at short notice to respond to all questions that you may have.

The first step to seeing if you and Amanda would like to work together is a strategy call. The strategy call costs £180, and, if you do decided to proceed with EHCP Application Mentoring, the cost of the strategy call will be deducted from the overall cost of the EHCP Application Mentoring package.

3

Appeal Support Mentoring

You’re in a position where you’ve decided to appeal either your EHCP or the refusal to undertake an assessment or issue a plan. 

Amanda works with five one-to-one clients a year, supporting them through every stage of their EHCP appeal. EHCP appeals typically take 5 months to complete, and most appeals are resolved without the need for a hearing. Amanda will review all letters to send, forms to complete and documents to review, and is available at short notice to respond to all questions that you may have.

The first step to seeing if you and Amanda would like to work together is a strategy call. The strategy call costs £180, and, if you do decided to proceed with Appeal Support Mentoring, the cost of the strategy call will be deducted from the overall cost of the Appeal Support Mentoring package.

4

Reviews of Draft EHCPs

You’ve got yourself to the point where you have a draft EHCP in your hand. Congratulations on getting this far!  And now you’re beginning to doubt yourself and you’d like a second opinion on its contents, or help to incorporate things you believe to be missing.

You’ve probably got this! And if you feel that you need some additional support, Amanda can review the draft EHCP (and all the original advice/reports), and work with you to incorporate what you feel is missing.

The first step to seeing if you and Amanda would like to work together is a strategy call. The strategy call costs £180, and, if you do decided to proceed with getting Amanda to review your draft EHCP, the cost of the strategy call will be deducted from the overall cost of the Draft EHCP package.

5

Strategy Call

Not sure where to start?  Sometimes all you need is a conversation to point you in the right direction.  A strategy call with Amanda will help you get clarity on your options and immediate actions you can take, empowering you to take the next step for your child.

What people are saying

  • “Our family was many months into a battle to try and get our son’s educational needs met when I contacted Amanda . She was the light that I needed, she had the knowledge and insight that I couldn’t magic or muster. My husband could not work out who did what or what we should or could do, I had endured so much and had held myself for our son through some traumatic incidences. I was drained and had been focused on his wellbeing being. The processes and paper work road ahead was seeming insurmountable but with Amanda there to be our confident , keep the balance and help keep things on track - it was a life changer in that moment of time. We finally had the security of someone with the right legal and SEND knowledge, support, humour and understanding. She really understood the race element and SEND element of our experience.

    For meetings, important dates, and the tribunal she was always professional and available when I most needed it. As our mentor she pointed me in the right direction and helped me handle the things I couldn’t. She held space when I needed to cry, was a sounding board when I needed to think carefully about our sons needs, she was innovative, a professional force and active at all the right times.

    We paid for her service and it was worth every penny, we achieved the much outcomes needed for our son and she helped take our family out of the wilderness where we were weary and battered - through her support we gained the success story we were so desperately trying to achieve. We will always be grateful, remember her fondly and will never cease to recommend her services.”

    Liz

  • "When I was in a very dark place Amanda was a voice of reason, hope and understanding. Having been through the EHCP process herself, she knew how it makes a parent feel. She also had the answer I’d been looking for- my daughter needed a small independent school. No other professional I had spoken to had offered this as a solution. She held my hand through the process (which, let’s face it, is frustrating beyond measure). She urged me to keep calm and gently encouraged me not to give up when the LA turned down our requests. With Amanda in our corner we felt ready to take our daughter’s case to tribunal. KCC conceded and now our daughter will attend the right school for her. Without Amanda I definitely would have given up a long time ago. She’s been an absolute godsend."

    Jodi

  • “I want to thank you so much for the part you played in helping us. Your time and advice were invaluable in helping me obtain L's EHCP and instrumental in making me realise I could stand up for my son.”

    Claire

 

Interested? Talk to Amanda about how she can assist you with getting an EHCP for your child.