Newbery, Eleanor;
(2024)
Exploring parent and carer knowledge, confidence and access to information when requesting an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment.
Doctoral thesis (D.Ed.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In 2014, the Children and Families Act was introduced which made significant changes to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) support for children and young people in England. Notably, the introduction of an integrated 0-25 system for education, health and care needs with a greater emphasis on parental engagement. Despite this, parents/carers increasingly report negative experiences of SEND systems, suggesting a system that is difficult to navigate. METHODS: This research explored parent/carer knowledge, confidence and access to information and support when requesting an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA). A mixed methods exploratory design was used, gathering data from online surveys. In total 254 parents/carers took part in the research from across England. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. FINDINGS: This research revealed that parents/carers who were successful applying for an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment on the first attempt, felt significantly more informed on the process. It revealed variable, and often limited, knowledge on the Code of Practice (2015) with widespread misconceptions. It revealed variation in the sources of information and support that parents/carers accessed, and how positively they were received. Parents/carers reported needing to ‘fight’ for support, regularly facing barriers from the school or Local Authority (LA). Help and support was welcomed by parents/carers mitigating the difficulties experienced. DISCUSSION: The research calls for fair and accessible information and support made available to all parents/carers of children with SEND. The implications for policy makers, and professionals are discussed.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Ed.Psy |
| Title: | Exploring parent and carer knowledge, confidence and access to information when requesting an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2024. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Psychology and Human Development |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10196783 |
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