If your child or you as a young person need additional support, it is important to communicate with the people who are involved. These people could include teachers, or your schools SENDCO. It is important to ask about what support the school or setting has put into place as part of a graduated response. They must make this information available.
You can learn what schools and settings should do to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). You can find this in the early years and education and learning sections of the Local Offer.
When applying for a plan, there are 5 steps included in the process. This process takes up to 22 weeks. Each step of the process is explained on this page.
Step One - Request an EHC Needs Assessment (6 Weeks)
A team of professionals from different backgrounds will look at what support has already been given. They will also look at how funding is being used. A decision will be made at this point whether an EHC assessment needs to happen. If the team decides that an EHC needs assessment is not necessary, you will be given reasons why. The team will also give you information about how to get any extra help that you may need.
It is important to include information that can help the local authority to make a decision. Information from you can help. You should provide information from the educational setting. You should also provide information from any agencies or services that work with you or your child. This should include how the agencies or services have used the graduated response to give support. It should also include information about how the support they have provided has helped.
Step Two - Co-ordinated Assessment (6 weeks)
If the local authority agrees to do an EHC needs assessment, a SEND officer will talk to you about the process. The SEND officer is impartial. They are there to help you understand the process. They will co-ordinate everything behind the scenes.
The SEND officer will work with the family and any professionals to create the first draft of the EHC plan. There will be a meeting to discuss the EHC plan, unless you decide you don't need one. During the meeting, the SEND officer will ask you for your comments about the draft plan to include the child's, young person's and family's views. They will also ask professionals for comments.
Step Three - Planning (2 weeks)
The SEND officer will speak to a panel of education, health and social care professionals. The panel will speak about the type of resources and support that the child will need. The panel will organise the types of support and list them in the assessment. They will include the identified resources in the proposed EHC plan.
Step Four - Proposed EHC Plan Sent Out (3 weeks)
The SEND officer will send a copy of the proposed EHC plan to you, or parents and carers. They will ask for any more comments and will ask if you agree with the proposed plan.
Step Five - EHC Plan Finalised (5 weeks)
When you tell the SEND officer you agree with the plan, they will include a school or education setting in it. The SEND officer will then finalise the plan. The plan then becomes a legally-binding document. The plan will include details of the child's special educational needs. It will also detail what the school or setting should do to meet those needs. You can appeal the chosen school or setting up to 2 months after the date of issue.
Derbyshire Information and Support Service (DIASS) offers advice and support to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as well as to their parents and carers.
Contact
Email: CS.SENDAdmin@derbyshire.gov.uk
To request an EHC needs assessment, or view updates in relation to your request, please visit the Derbyshire County Council EHC Hub.