Specialist D/deaf Educational Advocacy

 

Many children and young people with additional needs or Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) are caught up in educational processes and procedures for securing educational support. On occasions, the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) procedures may be extensively delayed or problematic, requiring support and intervention from an advocate.

 

Parents have complained that the children and young people are not being invited to their own EHCP meetings, even though this is their right if they wish to attend. Sometimes D/deaf children and young people are left out of meetings because there is a difficulty with communication modality or D/deaf parents are not included in the full information about what is happening with their child. In instances such as these, a Specialist Advocate is often useful and can help to progress applications or appeal unfair decisions.

 

Parents can also find the EHCP processes very difficult and emotional to navigate alone. Having an Independent Advocate to help parents navigate the education system, multidisciplinary meetings, act as an intermediate between themselves and the school, alongside vouching for their child’s support needs can be a valuable support.