In most cases, children and young people identified as having complex SEN will be referred for an EHC Plan needs assessment by a relevant professional, for example a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), teacher, educational psychologist, or health worker. However, Parents and Carers can also ask the Local Authority (LA) to carry out a needs assessment – see contact details at the bottom of this page for further information.
It should be noted that if a request is made, it does not mean that a needs assessment will definitely go ahead or that an Education, Health and Care Plan will be provided. The local authority will carefully consider whether a graduated approach at SEN Support has already been provided and progress has not been made before deciding if a needs assessment is needed.
There are two ways to apply for an EHCP, the School can make the referral or the Parent can submit a referral:
- School referral –
All the forms the school needs can be found here- gateshead-localoffer.org/forms-and-templates/
Once complete the school will email them all to us via this email address- SENTeam@Gateshead.gov.uk
Please note, the school will need to provide the following:
EHC Plan Referral Form
Top-up Funding Form
Child’s Views Form
Child’s One Page Profile Form
1 Current Support Plan
2 Previous Support Plans
Signed Parental Consent Form
Parental Advice Form
We would recommend to meet with the School SENDCO to discuss this process and what support is in place for your child. If you are having trouble with communication with the school or would like support and advice about the EHCP process, contact SENDIASS at Barnardos on 01914784667 – www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do/services/dais-gateshead-sendias who offer support to Families and young people
2. Parental Referral –
Parents are able to request a EHCP needs assessment by putting the request within an email and send to the SEN team- SENTeam@Gateshead.gov.uk . We will need to know the following information:
Childs Name, Childs DOB, Childs School, Childs Address, Parent’s Names, addresses and Contact details.
An explanation as to why you feel your child needs the support that would come with an EHCP.
We would also recommend you include any additional reports, letters or assessments by any professionals that have been involved.
For more information, contact us via telephone on 0191 433 3626 or via email on senteam@gateshead.gov.uk