Find out about education, health and care plans and how to request an assessment of your child's needs.
Some needs cannot be met at SEN support level at school. If a child has not made the necessary progress through resources available to schools, a needs assessment may be requested by the young person, parent, school or other setting.
We may then agree to do an assessment, where the severity or complexity of the child's needs, together with a wide range of evidence, is considered. Having an assessment may lead to the child getting an education health and care plan (EHCP).
An education health and care plan (EHCP) is a single, legal document which brings together a child or young person's education, health and social care needs.
The child or young person must have special educational needs to be eligible for a plan. It is not necessary to have a diagnosed condition for a needs assessment to be considered. Likewise, having a diagnosis does not necessarily mean that a child or young person requires an EHCP.
Useful downloads
The education health and care plan process is managed by our team of assessment and review officers. You can find your case worker here (pdf / 188 KB).
The Department for Education has produced a SEND guide for parents and carers, which includes the local offer.
You can download a list of our schools here. (pdf / 1 MB)
You can also view a list of establishments approved for educational purposes by the secretary of state, also known as Section 41.
Frequently asked questions
A request for an assessment of your child's needs can be made by:
- a parent or carer or a young person themselves, if they are beyond school leaving age (for example 16+ years);
- a college, school or early years setting; or
- professionals involved with your child or young person, such as a GP, school doctor, social worker, health visitor or therapist.
Requesting a needs assessment
As part of the assessment of needs the Comprehensive Assessment of Needs (CAN-Do) Online will be completed, usually by schools and settings along with parents / carers. This enables us to get an in-depth view of a child or young person's needs and will inform the level of resources they will need to ensure their success in education.
See the following guidance along with Word versions of the CAN-Do Online assessment questions (for use in review meetings) for details:
- CAN-Do Online guidance (pdf / 560 KB)
- CAN-Do Online questions - early years (docx / 73 KB)
- CAN-Do Online questions - primary school (docx / 73 KB)
- CAN-Do Online questions - secondary school (docx / 73 KB)
- CAN-Do Online questions - post-16 (docx / 76 KB)
Please contact us if you would like to request an assessment:
Email: sen@northyorks.gov.uk
Tel: 01609 535002