Has anyone had a social services assessment for school avoidance?

[joanna123457]

Hi everyone. Has anyone had experience of this? I have 4 children, one of which has Emotionally Based school avoidance. She hasnt been to school since last October and lots of things have been tried. My other 3 children go to school fine. She is almost 11 and to start high school in September. Her current school have referred this to social services so Im expecting an assessment! I have lots of logs and paper trails with everything that I have tried to get her there and I have always kept the school fully updated with everything and evidence. Has anyone ever had an assessment done before? Thanks

Easier said than done, but try not to worry. You might not even get a visit. It might help you to make some notes and a timeline of events. It might help you to write some questions/points down about what they can do to help e.g. support an EHCNA if that hasn’t already happened, help with arranging further support and AP if it isn’t already in place, help with arranging mental health support. How supportive and helpful they are depends on who you get.

Alongside this, is alternative provision in place? Has an EHCNA been requested?

No she’s never had one, she doesn’t have any other conditions apart from this school
anxiety. I am expecting a visit this time as the school did one about a month ago for the same reason it got closed down no further action as I explained what the school have been like. They did say they may need to do an assessment if they refer again for non attendance x

Request an EHCNA yourself. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use.

Alongside this, request alternative provision under section 19 of the Education Act 1996.

You should also check what the school is recording the absences as. They should be authorised, but do check.

Thankyou. No it’s all gone down as unauthorised absence, they haven’t been very helpful at all, for starters they haven’t seen her for 3 months as haven’t been out to see her

If DD is absent due to illness, including mental ill health, the absences must be authorised. Email the school requesting the absences are authorised. Remind them the Regulations (School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024) make it clear where a pupil is absent because they are unable to attend due to sickness the absence must be regarded as authorised. DfE’s working together to improve school attendance statutory guidance also states absence due to illness, both physical and mental health related, must be coded as I.

Go on to say that as DC is not receiving an alternative education under s.19 of the Education Act 1996 and an EHCNA has not been requested for the school and LA could have done and still can do more to support DD.

Finish by giving them a reasonable deadline to reply. I would copy in the school’s headteacher and the Director of children’s services at the LA too.

We know a family who went through this process as a result of school refusal. Social services were suprisingly hugely supportive and helpful, and really took the school to task for some of their less-than-helpful actions.

So, id cross your fingers that you get someone good and in the mean time write a list of what school could be doing but aren’t, and any support that you might find helpful (tutoring maybe).

She has never been diagnosed with EBSA and they have always put her down as unauthorised every day. The head teacher tells me it cant be diagnosed apparently! I didnt know any of this

School referred me to social care when dd was unable to attend. It came to nothing, closed with a phone call largely because CAMHS had signed her off. School thought they could force her attendance contrary to health advice by involving social care I think. But in actual fact Social Care advised them that they shouldn't make any further referrals as CAMHS had agreed to be responsible for safeguarding purposes as dd was seen at home regularly.
Have you spoken to your GP and asked for a CAMHS referral?

EBSA isn’t a diagnosis in the DSM or ICD, but that doesn’t mean the absences can’t be coded as I. You don’t need a diagnosis for it to be recognised the absences are due to illness.

If they haven’t seen your child for 3 months they are doing the right thing, not because I think you are wrong but because they need to make sure child are safe. Hopefully this will be the beginning of you getting help with your DD, it’s hard I know, I took mine out of school at 12

They came and saw her two days ago and saw that she was absoultely fine. Basically they are putting it down to school policy as her attendance is only 12%

Hi, hiredandsqueak, she was referred to CAMHS via school a few months ago but they came back and said they wouldnt see her as her mental health wasnt severe enough

Could you not home educate her instead as she's at home anyway? There's lots of support out there for people in this situation. I am a social worker myself and have had families referred to me for similar reasons and where there are no safeguarding concerns this is an education issue not social care so it's likely they will do the assessment, look at what support is needed and then close the case.

Request another referral to CAMHS.

Personally, I wouldn’t EHE. It is often easier, although not easy, to get support when you remain in the system. Crudely, at the moment, you are someone’s problem. If you EHE, it is easier for professionals to sweep DD’s needs under the carpet. At the moment, the LA has a duty to ensure she still receives a suitable full-time education. If you EHE, you relieve the LA of this duty. Also, if you EHE, the LA has even less incentive to agree to assess and issue an EHCP because a proportion will continue to EHE rather than appeal.

What's she doing instead of going to school?

I'd bin her phone/tablet/tv/laptop straight away. Put some schoolbooks in her room to read. She can sit and watch TV with the family in the evenings. Make it really boring to be at home.

They are not doing anything wrong making the referral.

That’s not how it works. She isn’t at home because it’s more fun than school.

Well, sitting in her room on a smartphone won't be helping in the slightest. No need for her to be doing anything like that during school time, is there? If she's unwell she needs to focus on getting better, not doing addictive screen based activities. She can do maths and english all day, even if she can't get to school.

The reason I ask is that 9.5 times out of 10, the parent asking for help about a school refusing child on here is happily letting them game away/scroll on tiktok in their room with absolutely no controls, usually staying up late and sleeping all day while contributing absolutely nothing to the household, which gives you a good idea of how they got in the situation in the first place

And I’d say that 9.5/10 the child with EBSA has often undiagnosed neurodiversity.

That's true as well. And what is the child with the undiagnosed neurodiversity doing in their room? Staring blankly at a wall?

I must have missed the bit where OP said that was happening

It cannot be diagnosed as it’s not a psychiatric condition, it’s just a term to describe a severe reluctance to attend school. There’s often other diagnosable conditions underlying which contribute to it getting to this point. You say she doesn’t have any conditions except school anxiety, have you been able to access support for this?

This is the wrong way round. They are responsible for seeing her. They should be doing weekly welfare checks ideally visiting the house or via video. If not they are not covering their safeguarding responsibilities. I know this because we are going through similar and have a SEND advocate who makes everyone clear on the law.

Dont worry about the social services. The school are the ones not fulfilling their duty of care. They are legally obliged to code it as illness and refer you to the LA for AP Section 19 if she’s missed more than 14 days.

the whole education system relies on people not knowing their rights. Don’t let them get away with it

AP should be arranged when it becomes clear 15 days will be missed. These days do not need to have already been missed or be consecutive. And provision should begin by the sixth day of absence.

There isn’t a legal requirement for weekly welfare checks.

Many parents wouldn’t want weekly visits/calls anyway, and many push back against them, because they can be distressing and overwhelming for some DC.

She isn’t sat on her phone all day, she will not get through that door to go to the car due to her anxiety, it’s real and even just the mention of school sets her off.