Most children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities will have their needs met through mainstream education, such as early years' education, schools and colleges.

If a child or young person needs more specialist help than is available at their place of education, we can carry out an education, health and care needs assessment. The assessment will see whether the child or young person needs an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

EHC plans are for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through mainstream SEN support. EHC plans:

• bring together education, health and social needs in a single plan
• set out the additional support to meet those needs

EHC plans are family-focused, with emphasis on:

• individual goals for children
• improving children's opportunities for education and employment
• introducing the opportunity for personal budgets to support these plans

Requesting an assessment

Requests for an education, health and care needs assessment can come from:

• the school or other education provider
• a parent or carer
• another agency, for example social services or the health authority
• the young person themselves, if over the age of 16

In all cases, we will consider the information and evidence provided. If needed, we will get more advice.

When we receive an assessment request

When we receive a request for an education, health and care needs assessment, we have up to 6 weeks to decide whether an assessment will be carried out.

If the assessment finds that an EHC plan is needed:

• we will create a draft EHC plan and send you a copy
• you will have 15 days to comment – this includes asking that your child goes to a specialist needs school or specialist college, if you wish to do so
• we have 20 weeks from the date we received the assessment request to give you the final EHC plan

 

Who to talk to regarding your child’s SEN needs and support in academic settings:

In the first instance you are advised to contact the SEN coordinator, or ‘SENCO’ in your child’s nursery, school or college. They will be able to discuss your concerns in detail and where appropriate, implement an Individual Support Plan as part of SEN Support.  Following support SEN Support level, some children or young people’s needs may be deemed significant and complex and therefore require an EHC assessment by the Local Authority.

 

Your local Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Service can give you advice about SEND.

Parent Advisory Team Thurrock (PATT) - 07702 127 252 -  www.patt.org.uk

 

Requests for an education, health and care needs assessment can come from:

 

• the school or other education provider
• a parent or carer
• another agency, for example social services or the health authority
• the young person themselves, if over the age of 16

 

Settings and other agencies can complete an EHCP Needs Assessment Request form and these can be obtained upon request from the SEN Service.

 

If parents or the young person themselves, wish to make a request, they can do so via email: sen@thurrock.gov.uk  detailing the reason for the request.  

 

If a child or young person isn’t attending nursery, school or college, please call the SEN Team on 01375 652 555.

 

What happens once the SEN Team receive the EHCP Needs Assessment Request:

Upon receipt of an EHCP needs assessment request, a member of the SEN team will contact services to which the child is known (e.g., health, social care, educational psychology etc.). This is to gather and collate evidence in support of the request to carry out a needs assessment.

 

The needs assessment request along with the evidence gathered is presented to the Initiation Panel 4 weeks after the request was received and parent carers, are notified of the panel’s decision within 2 weeks of panel meeting.

 

If panel agree to an assessment being conducted the nursery, school or college SENCo will work with the parent carers and child or young person to develop the EHCP.

 

If a parent or young person disagrees with the panel’s decision, they have the right to appeal

Support your child can receive

Your child may be eligible for:

• SEN support - support given in school, like speech therapy
• an education, health and care (EHC) plan - a plan of care for children and young people aged up to 25 who have more complex needs

If you or your child got support before September 2014 this will continue until your local council changes it to an EHC plan.

Help and advice

You can call the Contact a Family helpline for help and advice.

Contact a Family helpline helpline@cafamily.org.uk
Telephone: 0808 808 3555
Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges