Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Education Health and Care Assessment Guide
Pre request – Is an EHC plan needed?
First
two
weeks
 There is a single point of entry to request a statutory EHC assessment via
the SEND Assessment Service based at Riverside House.
 Anyone can bring a child or young person with SEND to the attention of the
local authority and parents, health agencies, early year’s providers, schools
and colleges have an important role in doing so.

To request an assessment form should be completed and sent to the SEND
Assessment Service. It will need to be supported by clear, appropriate
documentary evidence without which a request cannot be accepted.

A young person or parent can make a direct request to the local authority but
will need to supply relevant supporting evidence for the request to be
properly considered. Support in making this request is available for parents
from the SEND Parent Partnership Service and for young people from the
Integrated Youth Support Service.

All information or evidence to support a request is considered by the Local
Authority to identify whether a statutory assessment leading to an EHC Plan
is appropriate.

A member of the SEND Assessment Service will contact the young person,
parent and others involved to let them know of the decision. The statutory
time limit for this is 6 weeks but in most cases we will try to respond within 2.
The whole assessment and planning process from the time the request for
assessment is received until the final EHC Plan is issued lasts up to 20
weeks.
What happens for the child/young person and the family?
 Young people and parents will have been involved in discussions with their
early years setting, school, college or education provider. It is expected that
they will have for some time been involved in the development and review of
an SEND Support Plan
 If the local authority decides to proceed with a statutory assessment, the
EHC Assessment Coordinator makes contact with the family to introduce
themselves as the key point of contact, to plan the process with the family
and answer any immediate queries.
 If the local authority decides not to proceed with a statutory assessment, the
SEND support plan for the child or young person will continue supported by a
lead professional or educational psychologist. The reasons will be made
clear and opportunities to discuss and resolve any issues given.
What should practitioners do?
 Before supporting or making a request for an EHC Statutory Assessment,
the child/young person should normally have in place an SEND Support Plan
that shows how all involved have worked together to identify and support the
child/young person’s needs. Usually, this plan will have been reviewed at
least twice in collaboration with the family and child or young person. There
will be evidence of targeted support being in place and evaluation of how
effective it has been in achieving the expected outcomes. This information is
also required when the family or young person make the request for a
statutory assessment.
 Practitioners need to be sure that the request is in line with local guidance
and sets out how the delegated funding for SEND is being used.
 If an assessment is deemed not appropriate relevant staff will be informed of
any follow up or further support needed.
Listening and learning - gathering advice
Weeks The EHC Assessment Coordinator will:
2 to 8
 contact the family to discuss and plan the process and set a date for a
planning meeting around week 12
 identify and request any additional reports or assessments required as part of
the assessment process
 gather all existing and additional evidence, making contact with Health and
Social Care and other agencies and specialists as required
 keep in touch with the family and begin to draft the EHC plan.
What happens for the child/young person and the family?
 The child/young person and family receive contact from their allocated EHC
Assessment Coordinator who will plan the assessment process with the
family, discuss the purpose of the 12 week meeting and wherever practical,
identify the family preferences and availability for meeting times and location.
 The child/young person and family meet practitioners who will discuss their
role in supporting the assessment of education, health and care needs. The
EHC Assessment Coordinator will attempt to reduce any burdens on the
family.
 The child/young person and their family are able to contribute directly to the
plan.
 The child/young person and their family will be in receipt of the draft plan and
supporting evidence collated through the statutory assessment process.
What happens for the practitioners?

V1 January 2014
Practitioners will receive early notice of a statutory assessment and be able to
access all current documentation which should reduce the need for duplication
of questions for the family. They will also be informed of family preferences
and availability for meeting times and location. Practitioners contact the
family.

Practitioners carry out any assessments required and where relevant, notify
the EHC Assessment Coordinator of any additional information or
assessments required following on from discussion with the family and/or
young person.

All practitioners involved should respond to requests to be involved in
assessments and attend any planning meetings as required. These meetings
will be coordinated by the EHC Assessment Coordinator but may be led by a
professional involved.

We are working to establish a system that will enable the EHC Assessment
Coordinator to facilitate the family and practitioners accessing current advice
received throughout the statutory assessment process.
Agreeing the Plan
Weeks 
9-13
The EHC Assessment Coordinator will:

collate all advice received and where advice suggests health and social care
are directly involved ensure relevant managers are aware of budget issues

complete a draft plan, contact health and social care managers, and use
established criteria to prepare indicative budgets ready for the week 12
planning meeting.

Present draft plans to the SEND Panel to:
• decide whether an EHC plan should be issued and if so the
intensity and type of SEN provision necessary
• clarify indicative budgets


.
If the outcome of the statutory assessment is that an EHC plan is not
appropriate the reasons will be set out clearly in a letter to the parent and
referrer together with information on their rights of appeal. A TAC (Team
Around the Child) meeting will be offered to discuss the outcome and set out
any on-going appropriate support to be delivered by the school/education
provider and services.
If it is agreed an EHC plan is appropriate the parent, referrer and all involved
parties will be advised.
What happens for the child/young person and the family?

 The young person and/or family are advised of the initial outcome of statutory
assessment.
 If an EHC plan is felt to be appropriate the young person and their family will
be advised and the EHC Assessment Coordinator will draft an initial EHC plan.
V1 January 2014
 If the outcome of the statutory assessment is that an EHC plan is not
appropriate, the reasons will be set out clearly in a letter to the parent and
referrer. Also a meeting will be offered to discuss the outcome and set out
any on-going appropriate support to be delivered by the school/ education
provider.
What happens for the practitioners?
 All information is gathered together and a decision is made whether an EHC
plan is necessary for the child/young person.
 If it is agreed an EHC plan is appropriate the resources needed will be
assessed and indicative budgets agreed.
 If the outcome off the statutory assessment is that an EHC plan is not
appropriate the EHC Assessment Coordinator will send a letter explaining the
reasons and suggest a TAC meeting.
 The EHC Assessment Coordinator uses all collated information to draft an
initial EHC plan to be discussed at the week 12 meeting.
Finalising the EHC Plan
Weeks  The EHC Assessment Coordinator will work with the family to finalise the plan
and identify additional resources, provision or placement.
14 - 20
 The final plan will be issued with a review date set. The plan will need to be
reviewed annually but it is possible with agreement from all parties to have
interim reviews regarding particular outcomes.
What happens for the child/young person and the family?
 The EHC Assessment Coordinator will work with the child/young person and
family to produce a final plan and identify an appropriate school placement.
 Personal budgets are identified where appropriate.
What happens for the practitioners?
 The final plan will be sent to the education, health and social care provider as
appropriate.
 The local authority will arrange that the SEND provision as identified in the
plan is put into place.
 The Clinical Commissioning Group must ensure that specified health provision
is made.
V1 January 2014
An overview of the EHC plan
process
•
2 weeks
2-8
weeks
9-13
weeks
14 - 20
weeks
• Day 1: request received and timeline starts
• by 2 weeks – decision whether to proceed taken in
majority of cases
•
• Initial discussion / meeting with family to plan and
coordinate the assessment
• Request and collate advice, draft initial plan
• Decide and notify of decision to issue EHC plan or not
• Clarify indicative resources
• Present to multi-agency SEN Panel
• Planning meeting with family to draft key elements
• Where appropriate clarify personal budget
• Issue proposed EHC plan
• Work with family to finalise plan
• Issue final statement
•
•
•
Involving family in planning the
process and the plan – open,
transparent and friendly
Empowering those involved in TAC
meetings to plan based on indicative
budgets where relevant
Clear criteria for education, for
health and for social care
Moderation and sign-off by multiagency panel
All have a right to request a personal
budget
–
–
–
We’ll clarify the options at the initial
meeting
We’ll increase the range of relevant
services over time
Settings, schools and colleges need to
agree