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The Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment process starts the moment the Local Authority (LA) which is Ñý¾«¶¯Âþ (SCC) receives a request to carry out an EHC needs assessment.

It ends when your local authority:

• decides not to carry out an EHC needs assessment; or
• carries out an EHC needs assessment, but decides not to issue an EHC plan; or
• issues a finalised EHC plan.

The EHC needs process from start to finish should take no more than 20 weeks. You can find a detailed timeline of what happens at each stage of the EHC needs assessment process below:

EHC needs assessment process video

have produced a video explaining the process for parents and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

EHC needs assessment timeline

Week zero to six: decision to assess

A request to assess is received by SCC in our Education Health Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) team from either:

• a child or young person's educational setting
• parent or carer
• the young person if he, she, or they are over 16
• or any other professional.

You will be allocated a Education Health Care and Needs Assessment (EHCNA) Officer (previously called case worker). They will ask for information from you and the school or setting. You will be asked for your written consent to share information with relevant professionals. Relevant professionals will be notified to request they provide preliminary information within two weeks.

This SEND decision making process diagram (PDF) explains how we decide whether to carry out an assessment. It covers:

• Who provides input (families, schools, health and social care professionals, educational psychologists; our Multi Agency Team)
• How the EHCNA Team Lead makes to decision
• What happens next if the answer if yes or no
• How often decisions are made

Your EHCNA Officer will let you know within six weeks whether SCC has agreed to start an EHC assessment or not.

If SCC agrees to an assessment, a provisional date for a co-production meeting will be offered.

Where the decision is not to assess, you'll be notified of the reasons, your right to appeal the decision and offered a Way Forward meeting.

Week seven to 12: seek advice

If SCC agrees to undertake the EHC assessment, your EHCNA Officer will seek written advice from you and your child/young person. The educational setting will be asked for updated information since the initial request.

Please note that if this request is made when the schools are closed for the summer holidays, it can make it harder for us to receive the information we need.

The Government recognise this as a period where there is an ‘exemption from timeliness’.

You can find out more about the circumstances when an exemption applies in Section 10 of and Section 9.42 of the

Advice will also be requested from:

• Educational Psychologist
• Paediatrician/GP
• Social Worker (if applicable)
• Other professionals involved with your child, for example, a Speech and Language Therapist or Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) professional.

Replies must be received within six weeks of the request for advice.

Parents, carers and young people, who have received a "yes to assess" decision, are now invited to attend an optional online session called: Supporting your child: The EHC Needs Assessment. These meetings occur every two weeks. They offer information and guidance and answer questions about the EHC assessment process.

Week 13 to 16: advice gathering and decision to issue an EHC Plan

The EHCNA Officer collects all of the advice supporting the request, to present to the multi-agency EHC Plan meeting.

This SEND decision making progress diagram (PDF) explains how we decide whether to issue an EHC plan after assessment. It includes:

• Who contributes views and evidence (families and our Multi Agency Team)
• The role of the Head of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in making the decision
• How families are informed and supported
• How often decisions are made

By week 16 the EHCNA Officer will communicate the decision once made that, either SCC has decided:

• not to issue an EHC plan. If this is the case, your child's educational setting will provide Special Educational Needs (SEN) support. You will be invited to a Way Forward meeting with your EHCNA Officer to discuss the reasons and next steps. You have the right to appeal this decision. Mediation is available; or
• to issue a statutory EHC plan. The EHCNA Officer will send you an initial draft of the proposed plan.

If there is an EHC Plan co-production meeting this will take place. This is an opportunity for all parties to further develop the EHC plan.

Week 17 to 20: consult and finalise

Week 17 to 19

You have 15 calendar days to consider the proposed EHC plan and also to request a particular school or education setting.

Once you agree to the draft plan, your EHCNA Officer will consult with a school or education setting to seek their views on meeting the special educational needs as outlined within the draft EHC plan.

The school or setting has 15 days to respond. However, when schools and other settings are closed during the summer holidays it makes it harder for us to share draft EHC plans with them and hear their views. It is important that we hear from our schools and settings so we can make sure they are able to provide the support children and young people need. This must happen before they are named in a new Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

This means that new EHC plans issued during the summer holiday period might name a type of setting (for example mainstream) rather than a specific school or setting in section I if we do not already have a response from the school.

If this happens, your child should still attend the school they are already at or have been allocated for September, this process will not change their status as a current student.

We will share requests for feedback with schools when they re-open at the start of September. Schools have 15 days to respond to these requests. Once we can name a specific school, we will amend the EHC plan to include them in section I.

Week 20

By week 20 SCC will send you the final EHC plan and the support for your child can be put in place. You will be asked for feedback about the EHC needs assessment process.

There are times when it is more difficult for us to complete the process within 20 weeks. For example, when schools are closed during the summer holidays, it is harder for us to receive information about your child as part of the assessment. The Government recognise this as a period where there is an ‘exemption from timeliness’. You can find out more about the circumstances when an exemption applies in Section 10 of and Section 9.42 of the .

Next steps

Within 15 days of the EHC plan being issued, the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) will work with you to prepare a plan setting out short term targets for the next 12 months.

The EHC plan will be reviewed annually by the school or education setting.

Advice and support

If you have any questions or would like to talk through any part of the process, please contact the Education Health Care Needs Team at EHCNAteam@surreycc.gov.uk or speak with your EHC Plan Coordination Officer.

Where to receive impartial support and advice during the process

If at any time you need impartial advice and support, you can contact

You may also like to refer to our Help for families and young people during the EHC plan process web page which provides the details of further services who can assist.

Files available to download

• Decision making process to carry out an assessment for an Education Health and Care plan (PDF)
  How the council decides whether to carry out an EHCNA for a child or young person, and who supports with that decision.
• Decision making process to request to issue an Education Health and Care plan (PDF)
  How the council decides whether to issue an EHCP for a child or young person, following an EHCNA, and who supports with that decision