Devon’s SEND Local Offer

What is an EHC needs assessment

If your child has special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) but isn’t making the expected progress despite the extra support put in place, your education setting may suggest a formal assessment – known as an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment.

An EHC needs assessment is a joint assessment by professionals who are, or may need to be, involved with your child to provide advice about specific provision to meet their needs.

When a request for an EHC needs assessment is made, we have six weeks to inform you of whether we will carry out an assessment. During the six weeks, we may ask you, the setting and other professionals for information. We will look at:

the nature and extent of your child’s special educational needs
your child’s attainment and rate of progress
your child’s physical, emotional and social development and health needs

We will also look at current support arrangements and the impact on your child.

Part of
Education, health and care (EHC) plans
1. Step 1
  If you feel that your child is not making progress, you might be considering requesting an EHC needs assessment - but, the quickest way to get some extra support for your child is to speak to staff at their school, college or education setting. We'd always recommend having these conversations before proceeding with a request for assessment.
  Get some more advice and support
  What is an EHC needs assessment
  Who is responsible for EHC assessments and plans at Devon County Council
2. Step 2
  Follow our guidance on how to make a request, who should be involved in making the request and what happens once you have submitted it. We must give you a decision about whether or not we'll carry out an assessment within six weeks of your request.
  Who should make a request
  How to make a request
  What happens once your request is made
  What you can do if your request is turned down
  Disagreeing with decisions
3. Step 3
  Find out more about what happens if we agree to carry out an assessment. We must tell you whether or not we will issue an EHC plan within 16 weeks of your request.
  What happens during an assessment and how long does it take
  Providing your evidence to support the assessment
  What you can do if we decide not to issue a plan
  Disagreeing with decisions
4. Step 4
  The Local Authority will create a draft EHC plan and send you a copy. You will have 15 calendar days to give your suggested amendments and views before a final plan is issued. We must issue a final EHC plan within 20 weeks of your original request.
  The draft EHC plan
  The final EHC plan
  Implementing the EHC plan
  What has to be in an EHC plan
  What makes a good EHC plan
  EHC plans for 19 to 25-year-olds
5. Step 5
  Over time, your child’s needs may change. We will review their EHC plan each year as a minimum to ensure it continues to meet their needs.
  How often do reviews take place
  What happens during a review
  Reassessments
6. Step 6
  Find out more about what will happen if you need to transfer an EHC plan into or out of Devon.
  Transferring an EHC plan

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