If your child is in a nursery, school or college setting
If you have concerns about your child’s special educational needs or disability needs, your first point of contact should be the school or setting.
You may speak to the class teacher, tutor, special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO), headteacher or key worker. The school or setting should discuss these concerns with you and complete an assessment of your child’s needs themselves or request an assessment from another professional.
You can find the contact details for your child's SENCO from your child's school's detail page on this website.
An action plan should then be put in place and a review held with you and your child to see if this has helped your child to make progress.
If progress has not been made or if it is very slow, the school may arrange a meeting with yourself and a SEN casework manager to discuss whether a request should be made to the local authority for an education, health and care needs assessment.
The SEN casework manager can also give advice about other forms of advice and support that are available through the Local Offer.
To apply for an education, health and care needs assessment, you will need to complete the following documents, which you can do alongside staff from the school or setting, or with the assessment co-ordinator:
- All about me document – detailing parent voice and pupil's voice
- EHCP referral form
Both of these forms can be found in the Related Documents tab at the right of this page.
What happens next?
The school or setting will complete an application form and send it to the local authority, along with the forms detailed above and any professional reports about your child. These will then be considered by the Provision Agreement Panel (PAP).
You will be notified of the decision of the PAP within six weeks of the local authority receiving the application from your child’s educational setting.
You can also apply as a parent/carer - in your own right
A parent/carer is entitled to make an application for an education, health and care needs assessment in their own right. If you feel that this is necessary, you should write to:
Additional Needs Administration Service
People’s Services Department
Atlas House
Corporation Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA9 1LD
In your letter you should state that:
- You are making this request in accordance with Section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014
- Describe the reasons why you feel it is necessary to request an education, health and care needs assessment of your child’s needs
- Attach any relevant documents or reports
You can complete an application form if this would help and this can be requested from the address above; alternatively the form can be found in the Related Documents tab at the foot of this page.
Upon receipt of your application, a Provision Agreement Panel (PAP) meeting takes place and you will be notified of its decision within six weeks.
For more information, please see 'Guidance for meeting additional needs' in Related Documents.
If you are a young person or adult over the age of 16 but under the age of 25
If you have a special educational need or disability and feel that you need an education, health and care plan to support you in education, employment or training, you can apply to the local authority for an education, health and care needs assessment of your needs.
You should write to:
Additional Needs Administration Service
People’s Services Department
Atlas House
Corporation Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA9 1LD
In your letter you should state that:
- You are making this request in accordance with Section 36 of the Children and Families Act 2014
- Describe the reasons why you feel it is necessary to request an education, health and care needs assessment of your needs
- Attach any relevant documents or reports
You can complete an application form if this would help and this can be requested from the address above; alternatively the form can be found in the Related Documents tab at the foot of this page.
Upon receipt of your application, a Provision Agreement Panel (PAP) meeting takes place and you will be notified of its decision within six weeks.
For more information, please see 'Guidance for meeting additional needs' in Related Documents.