In the third session of our three-part series, EHCP Essentials: Mastering the EHCP Process for Your Visually Impaired Child, guest speakers Laura Hughes, CEO of MoorVision, Sophie Heiser, Advocacy & Wellbeing Manager at Blatchington Court Trust, and Georgie Bowen, trainee barrister, discussed the law relating to EHCP’s, what you can and can’t appeal, how to request changes to an EHCP and the appeals process.
The session covered:
- What to do if there is a refusal or dispute
- How to prepare your case
- What to do at the tribunal
- Common pitfalls when going to tribunal
Session 3 resources.
Explore the YouTube links below to watch this insightful and valuable session, packed with practical advice and useful information.
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to our expert panellists, Sophie Heiser and Lynne Pierce, and to Georgie Bowen, for her valuable offer of support to parents who are disputing an EHCP decision.
To all the parents who joined us, thank you, we hope you have found this 3 part series on the EHCP process useful and that the videos and resources help support you through the EHCP application and dispute process.
Recordings of Sessions 1 & 2 of Mastering the EHCP process for your visually impaired Child and their accompanying resources are available below.
Session 1 – What is an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)?
To watch Session 1: What is an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and who is entitled to one? and access the resources please click the the button below.
Session 2 – What makes a good EHCP and who can help?
To watch Session 2: What makes a good EHCP and who can help? and access the resources please click the the button below.
Meet the guest speakers
Laura Hughes, Moorvision CEO.
Laura Hughes is the CEO of MoorVision, a charity providing activities, information, advice, support and advocacy to families of children and young people aged 0-29 with vision impairment across Devon and Cornwall. Laura is also the parent of a young adult with vision impairment.
Lynne Pierce, Education Advocacy Officer at Blatchington Court Trust.
Lynne is the Education Advocacy Officer at Blatchington Court Trust, providing information, advice, support and advocacy to families of partially sighted/severely sight impaired and Blind children and young people across Sussex.
Lynne joined BCT over 8 years ago having previously worked for the RNIB group since 1997. Initially teaching in a specialist Further Education College for visually impaired young people (16+), Lynne subsequently managed one of the RNIB College Partnerships then Team Leader of the London & South East Children & Young People’s Service.
Ruth Buckroyd, Educational Advocacy Assistant at Blatchington Court Trust.
Ruth Buckroyd is the Educational Advocacy Assistant at Blatchington Court Trust, a charity providing activities, information, advice, support and advocacy to families of children and young people aged 0-29 with vision impairment across Sussex.
Ruth provides administrative support to the advocacy team and joined BCT at the end of Sept 2023. She is currently studying towards the SEND Law Level 1 Course provided by IPSEA. Ruth is severely sight impaired with the condition Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Sophie Heiser, Advocacy & Well-Being Manager for Blatchington Court Trust.
Sophie is the Advocacy & Well-Being Manager for Blatchington Court Trust. Her team’s work involves meeting and introducing new clients and their families to the trust, helping with educational issues, managing the counselling service and liaising with LOOK’s mentoring scheme.
Georgie Bowen.
Georgie is currently undergoing her Barrister training course and has begun training with IPSEA, assisting with advocacy for children and young people with SEN. She also has advocacy experience as a trade union representative and has worked as a paralegal for the last 18 months.
If you have taken the decision to appeal a decision to the SEND tribunal, Georgie may be able to represent you at the tribunal, as well as assist in preparing your case and guiding you through the procedure. She has limited capacity, but do get in touch with the LOOK team if you are interested in advocacy support.
