Asking for an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCP Test)

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Who can ask for an Education, Health and Care needs assessment?

You can ask for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment, if you are a:

• Parent of the child or young person
• Young person (aged 16-25 years)
• Nursery, School or College that the child/young person attends

Before asking for an EHC needs assessment, it can be a good idea to talk to somebody at the nursery, school or college to see if there is any extra support they can put in place that might meet the child's needs.

The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCO) for the setting will also be experienced in the EHC needs assessment process and may be able to provide support in your application.

How do I ask for an EHC needs assessment?

To request that the Local Authority conduct an EHC needs assessment, please download and return one of the forms below:

• Education Setting Request Form. If you represent a nursery, school or college that the child or young person attends, download this form.
• Parent Carer Request Form. If you are the parent / carer of the child or young person, download this form

If you have any queries, you can contact the SEN Service by emailing [email protected]

What if a child is younger than 2 years old?

It is not always appropriate to carry out an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment for children who are younger than two years old. However, we will consider the most appropriate ways forward and discuss these with parents/carers and professionals as needed. If we do decide not to assess your child’s needs, we'll tell you why and whether you can appeal.

What happens next?

After you submit a request, your referral will be acknowledged and information provided on what happens next. A decision will be made by the Local Authority about whether or not your child needs an EHCP. You will then be contacted about the decision and what happens next.

An independent support worker will be identified if it is felt that further support is required to assist the family through the process and ensure their views are represented.

For more information on following stages, please click here