Can anyone please explain to me what a CAF meeting involves?

teabag29

puddy wrote: »

are social services not involved? she sounds like a child in need to me, someone needs to be helping with services and resources, you sound like you're at the end of your tether and its difficult to keep her safe. i know that is what the caf meeting will be about, but why the delay, what have they been doing?

I have rang social services for help/advice and they were less than useless tbh. They said oh dear and advised me to wait for my camhs appt and sit tight. I explained about the road issue and im scared of her getting ran over but they said they dont do funding for things like that anymore and just advised me to apply for dla and then i could get help if shes awarded it.

As for the delay, well school pushed it onto the doctor, doctor wrote back to school for a education psychologist report, school wrote back to doctor saying no because we have children with more need educationally than my dd and her problems are more emotional so gp needs to help then finally gp did referral to camhs but took 2 weeks to post it off and just wrote bad behaviour with mental health history on fathers side.

I have written a letter to camhs to explain in more detail my dd's problems and her referral is due to be looked at on the panel today so gonna ring up soon and see if they've accepted it.

teabag29

pigpen wrote: »

That is what you need to decide.

Our DLA claim took 5 weeks for one child and 9 weeks for the other. 1 time it took less than 2 weeks.. it is very variable and depends on who hey are writing to and how long it takes them to reply.

Do your LEA do statements? Ask if tht woud be appropriate.. that can take 18 months but will secure funding for her some help at school.

Is there not a school bus?

What other things/areas do you feel you as a family could benefit from a little extra support?

A childminder to walk other children to school so you can take DD?

Family/individual counselling?

They won't offer anything you have to know what help you want and ask for it!!!

No school bus except for 1 that picks up outside our house (the biy next door has autism) for children with disabilities but need to be in receipt of dla to be considered for that. If I could get any help it would be to get her help to and from school safely. Also to get their acts together and help my dd properly. She is on sen register (school action plus) and has a reading age of 7 (confirmed by head of year and the school senco) but her english teacher says she's not on it and she doesnt get the extra help she needs (e.g at her last school she got reader in her exams)

ladymarmalade1970

Poor you and her. I have been going through it with my daughter at the moment but nothing like that. You have truly humbled me and i sincerely hope you find the help you need. xx

puddy

do you have someone who knows about all the services and responsiblities available who can come with you. ssd have a duty to support parents where a child is in need. they will try and fob off because of resources, you may need to push it but they may end up saying that a camhs referral is the answer and thats in process already so no further action.

she needs proper educational, emotional and behavioural assessment before anyone can look at what services will support the problems you have identified. probably a health assessment as well to see if there are any organic problems which havent been seen.

you have a fight on your hands

pigpen

If she is on school action plus she will have an IEP.. ask the senco for a copy.. and you should be being involved in the reviews each term..

teabag29

I dont know who to turn to tbh. When dd was younger any problems I had I would speak to the health visitor who was amazing at putting me in touch with the right people but ofcourse dd is now 12 so I dont see a health visitor anymore. The lady at ss I spoke to was very nice (this was beginning of last week) and she rang me back today saying she was going on holiday but couldnt go without speaking to me as my case stuck in her head. She said she had lots of parents ring in but none with issues like mine and she truly felt for me which was nice. I explained about camhs and the caf meeting and she said that was great. I also explained about my immediate concern of getting dd to school and back safely and asked again if there was anything they can do as dla are saying claims take 11 weeks to sort out (and no guarantee she'll get it). She said she will look into it and see what she can do.

I also phoned camhs reception about half hour ago and they said my dd's case is being looked at now and the clinicians are talking about it as we speak so she does not know yet whether the referral has been accepted, however once they reach a decision they will write to me and let me know. I get the feeling she was politely trying to tell me to stop ringing but its hard not to as they are the only people who may be able to help me.

teabag29

pigpen wrote: »

If she is on school action plus she will have an IEP.. ask the senco for a copy.. and you should be being involved in the reviews each term..

Well this is similar to what my siter in law said (my nephew is on the sen too) but i've not had to sign anything or been invited to any meetings or anything, there has been no reviews to my knowledge. Her English teacher only accepted defeat today thats shes actually on the register (after the head of year telling her) and shes been at the school since september.

peachyprice

Did she have a IEP at primary school?
You should have had a meeting before she left primary to discuss her IEP going forward into seconday and all her paperwork should have gone with her.

If she didn't have an IEP in primary and she's only been put on the SEN register at this school you should have had a meeting with the senco to discuss her needs and what you felt she needed help with and you should have had to sign the IEP to say you agree with the steps the school are taking to help her.

pigpen

Apply online for the DLA.. do that ASAP.. it took 5 and 9 weeks for them to process my girls claims last year which were both new claims so i is unlikley it will take 11 but if it does then the sooner you get it aplied for the sooner you will know one way or the other! You don't get it now you have nothing to lose!

Go into school tomorrow, if it is still open and speak to the senco.. stage a sit-in until she sees you if necessary and ask to be given a copy of the IEP. If she cannot provide it then she is lying about your daughter being on SAP... even with school action which is the lower level SEN the child still has goals they are working towards and targets and receive a little extra help. When (if!!) they hand over the IEP ask why you have not been involved with the writing up of the targets and why you have not been previously informed of reviews taking place. The IEP's are kept on computer so can be run off in seconds so no excuses

I have 4 on SAP over 3 schools and the systems are all the same.

If you feel they can offer assistance don't stop ringing.. it tends to irritate them into action.. just what they need! They are all so slow and the stupid hoops you have to jump through are ridiculous.

Oh.. do you have a KIDs in your area? They have keyworkers who can help with stuff like this so it may be worth getting them involved as back up for you. They will offer advice on who to contact and what services each place can offer.

Allegra

I haven't got the answer to the question you pose in the title - in fact, today was the first time I ever heard of CAF, which is why I was reading your thread, in hope of finding out what it is - but I didn't want to read and run; and I also wanted to let you know that you are not the only one at your wits' end with a child. My DD is 14, and has Asperger's syndrome and dyspraxia, and has been going through a period after period of horrendous difficulties since she started secondary school. She recieves no DLA (apparently not disabled enough); I recieve no practical help; and she has been on a waiting list for one-to-one and family counselling since 20th of January, which for a child with serious eating and self-harm issues is an absolute age.

She was hospitalised last Friday after taking an overdose of pills, and even though I was relieved when she was seen by a CAMHS person on call and discharged into my care, I am now wondering if it was the right decision. I am exhausted, sick with worry, and totally confused as to what to for the best. I have had the importance of not allowing access to pills and sharps impressed on me very strongly, which I have certainly taken to heart, but that does clash rather badly with the usual advice on self-harm, which is not to remove self-harming implements as that allows no channel of release for all the pressure they feel under. So it's been a week of hell so far.... And today I recieved a letter from the County Council (I assume that would be social services, but do not really know), advising me that they have been informed by the ambulance services of concerns about DD's self harm and overdose, and suggesting, in a poorly spelled way, that the school fill in a CAF ("leaflet enclosed", only they didn't!), and also states that they "Request that [DD's name, misspelt] engages with CAMHS to ensure that she recieves the support that she requires".

Well, a chance would be a fine thing, innit !

So if that's any comfort, you are not alone.... And I am sure that there must be help out there somewhere, for us both, and anyone else in a similar situation, as the alternative just does not bear thinking about !

My thoughts will be with you, please keep us updated. xx