The family and child/ young person must be at the heart of the assessment and planning process. They must be fully informed of and included in the EHC assessment process (in line with their wishes) and supported through it.  All SEND professionals must have a robust and working knowledge of processes locally and nationally so that parents/carers and children and young people can be supported through the process amicably and efficiently.

Within 6 weeks of the request being received, a multiagency panel will consider the request and decide whether the local authority's threshold for an assessment has been met. If the decision is made not to proceed with the EHC assessment, the parent/carer and/or young person (over the age of 16) will receive a letter explaining this decision and advising them of their right to appeal.

If the assessment is agreed, there will be a coordinated assessment process where information about the children and young people's strengths and needs will be gathered. Professionals from education, health and social care will be asked to contribute information to the assessment (usually within a 6-week timeframe from the assessment being agreed). This assessment information is then considered by the multiagency panel who will decide if an EHCP is required and, if so, what resources will be described in the plan.

If an EHCP is agreed, a draft EHCP is drawn up and feedback and views from parents/carer, schools or settings and the child/ young person (as appropriate) are sought by the SEN Team. When a draft EHCP is put together, parents/carers and children and young people will be asked if any further changes to the plan are needed; whether they would like to request a personal budget; and the educational setting that they would like to be named on the plan.

The final EHCP will then be issued by the SEN Team.

The whole process takes 20 weeks from when the request is received by the local authority. This is detailed in the following image linked in the ‘related files’ section.