SEND local offer - How to request an Education Health Care (EHC) Assessment

An assessment can be requested for a child or young person aged between 0 to 25, by a parent or carer, by a young person or by the child or young person's education provider.

A parent or carer or young person should talk to the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) of their child's education setting first. They will be able to advise on the process and how the request can be made.

Parents carers and young people can also talk to the SEND Information Advice Support Service (IASS) Officer who can assist them in making a request for an assessment. The SEND IASS Officer can be contacted on 01642 527158 or SENDIASS@stockton.gov.uk

How to request an assessment

A request for assessment can be made via email by parents, carers, young people and professionals - ehcassessments@stockton.gov.uk

Alternatively, parent, carer and young people can also request an assessment in writing.

Please write to:

SEND and Inclusion Service - request to assess.

Stockton on Tees Borough Council

Church Road

Stockton on Tees

TS19 1UE

The applicant will then be sent an assessment form to complete in order to provide further details about the support the child or young person needs.

What happens after an assessment is requested?

Once a request has been made the Local Authority will decide whether to carry out an assessment. As part of this decision, the Local Authority will look at all of the information available including from parents or carers and from the child or young person's education provider.

The Local Authority has to inform parents, carers or the young person within 6 weeks of receiving the request for assessment whether they will carry it out.

The Local Authority will expect that a child or young person has been supported through SEN support, that there is clear evidence that despite appropriate action being taken over time by the education provider they are not making expected progress, and that parent or carers have been closely involved throughout this process before a decision will be made to undertake an Education Health and Care assessment (except in exceptional circumstances).

What happens during an assessment?

The whole assessment process must take no longer than 20 weeks (except in a few exceptional circumstances) from when the Local Authority received the request for assessment.

The Local Authority will use a person centred approach to make sure that parents and carers and children and young people are fully involved.

The Local Authority will collect information from professionals and from parents and carers and the young person.

The professionals will include:

the manager, headteacher or principal of the education provider
an educational psychologist
social care
health care professionals

Parents or carers may request that certain professionals are asked for information.

Once all the information is collected the Local Authority makes a decision on whether a plan is necessary.

How an EHCP is prepared

If the Local Authority decides that a child or young person needs an EHC plan then a draft plan will be confirmed and sent to parents or carers and the young person.

Parents or carers and young people have 15 days to comment on the draft plan and can request a specific school or setting.

A final plan is then prepared which will be reviewed at least every 12 months.

What would happen if the Local Authority decides a plan is not needed

If the Local Authority decides a plan is not needed then they must let the parent, carers or young person know and give reasons for the decision. The Local Authority will ensure that parents, carers or the young person are aware of the resources available to meet special educational needs without a plan.

The Local Authority will provide information collected during the assessment process which will help the education provider meet the child or young persons' needs.

For more information on options available if you disagree with the decision made, visit our appealing an EHCP decision page.

What happens if a parent, carer or young person disagrees with the local authority decision regarding an EHC Assessment?

Parents and carers or young people have the right to challenge the local authorities' decisions on:

not carrying out an education, health and care assessment
not producing an education, health and care assessment
the special educational support included in the plan

The SEND IASS officer will be able to give advice and support regarding disagreements. Visit the SEND IASS page for more information.

For more information on challenging a decision, visit our resolving disagreements, mediation, tribunals and appeals page.

Further information

For further information parents and carers can contact the SEND IASS Officer by telephone on 01642 527158 or email SENDIASS@stockton.gov.uk

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