A timeline and the steps involved in an EHC assessment are shown in the images below. The assessment process takes 20 weeks from start to finish (around 5 months).

Steps 1-2: It is usually schools or settings that request an EHC assessment. However, parents/carers and young people (over the age of 16) can request an assessment themselves. This request needs to be made in writing to the local authority. There are templates available to support you with this, examples of which can be accessed on the IPSEA website by clicking here.

In Bury, EHC assessment requests must be sent to the SEN Team at:

3 Knowsley Place, Duke Street, Bury, BL9 0EJ or emailed to ehc@bury.gov.uk

Within 6 weeks of receiving a request for an EHC assessment, the local authority must decide if they are going to agree to the assessment. This decision is usually made by an SEN Panel of different professionals (e.g. SEN Team, Educational Psychologist, Health leads). The SEN Team will contact you after the panel meeting to tell you the decision. The SEN team is responsible for leading the EHC assessment process.

Step 3: If the decision is made to start an EHC assessment ("yes to assess"), the SEN team will ask professionals for advice about your child's strengths and needs and the provision (support) they require at school or college. Professionals will be asked to write a report with this information.

People who may be asked to provide information for an EHC assessment include:

• You and your child – it is very important that you are involved and that your child's ideas, hopes and goals for the future are at the heart of the assessment.

• School or college.

• An Educational Psychologist

• A doctor, therapist or Social Worker (if you have one)

• Other people or professionals who know your child well or have been working with them.

Step 4: The local authority will look at all the information and reports they have received and decide about whether they think that an EHC plan (EHCP) is needed. You can appeal against a decision not to issue an EHCP if you disagree with this.

If the local authority agrees to issue an EHCP, they will use all the information they have to put together a draft version of an EHCP. The EHCP is all about your child and their strengths and needs; you, your child and school or college will get a copy of the draft EHCP. If you don't agree with what it says, you can ask for changes to be made.

Step 5: Once you, your child and school/college are happy with the information in the EHCP, the local authority will issue a final version.