Education, Health Care Needs Assessments (EHC NA)

The Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments

Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments

What is an EHC needs assessment?

An EHC needs assessment brings together information about:
– what your child can and cannot do
– the help they need.

It includes information from:
– you
– your child
– the early years’ setting, school or post 16 setting
– other professionals who work with or support your child.

The assessment is to see if your child needs an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan). Local authorities are responsible for carrying out EHC needs assessments under the Children and Families Act 2014.

When is an EHC needs assessment necessary?

The school, early years or post 16 setting can provide help through SEN support.  This means that they make additional or different provision to meet the child or young person’s needs. Sometimes other professionals will give advice or support to help your child learn. For most children with SEND this is enough support to help them make progress.

Some children need more intensive and specialist support. If your child does not make progress despite the SEN support an EHC needs assessment might be the next step.

The SEND Code of Practice states:
In considering whether an EHC needs assessment is necessary, the local authority should consider whether there is evidence that despite the early years’ provider, school or post-16 institution having taken relevant and purposeful action to identify, assess and meet the special educational needs of the child or young person, the child or young person has not made expected progress. (9.14)

The local authority will look at:
– your child’s attainments and rate of progress
– their special educational needs
– support that has been put into place
– the difference that support has made
– which professionals have been involved
– your child’s physical, emotional and social development and health needs.

The SEND Code of Practice states:
A local authority must conduct an assessment of education, health and care needs when it considers that it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person in accordance with an EHC plan. (9.3)

Some children and young people will have needs that clearly require an EHC needs assessment and EHC plan. Once the local authority is aware that this is the case it should start the process without delay.

You can find out more about the criteria that local authorities should follow in the SEND Code of Practice sections 9.3 and 9.14 to 9.16.

Who can ask for an EHC needs assessment?

– the early years setting, school or post 16 setting, once this has been discussed with yourself
– parents – by writing to the local authority
– a young person over the age of 16 but under the age of 25

It is always a good idea to talk to the early years setting, school or post 16 setting before asking for an EHC needs assessment. There are common misconceptions that parental applications are dealt with faster or that less evidence is needed, this is not true. The same decisions are made on whether the child requires a needs assessment if it is a professional or parent making the referral