Requesting an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment

The EHC Hub is a new digital approach to creating and maintaining Education, Health and Care Plans. It puts families, children and young people at the heart of the process. The EHC Hub enables collaboration and transparency with all professionals involved.

The EHC Hub provides a secure platform for everyone involved in the:

• EHC needs assessment and
• Review process.

It enables everyone to:

• submit their advice
• see the contributions of others and
• to work towards positive outcomes for our children and young people.

For families it offers:

• a level of involvement
• co-production and
• transparency

For the Local Authority it provides:

• a welcome level of cohesion, and
• help in collaborating with and managing the input of all partners.

For the contributing practitioners it offers:

• a streamlined process for engaging with each case and for seeing the whole picture.

The EHC Hub provides:

• secure information sharing
• workflows that keep the process on track, and
• everyone fully informed at every stage.

Requests to carry out an EHC needs assessment can be made by:

• education settings, after talking to you first
• parents and carers
• young people over the age of 16 but under the age of 25

It is essential to talk to your education setting first, before requesting an assessment.  

If you would like some support to make your request, please contact SENDIASS.  SENDIASS provide impartial information advice and support.

All new education health and care needs assessment requests will be processed through Staffordshire’s EHC Hub.  More information on the key features of the EHC Hub and Parent User Guides can be found below.

The EHC Hub creates and maintains Education, Health and Care Plans via a digital approach. It helps to put families, children and young people at the heart of the process. It enables:

• transparency on the progress of the assessment, and
• greater collaboration between professionals and families. 

This means that as a parent or carer you will be able to:

• submit your views online
• see what advice has been requested and when it is received
• follow the progress of your child or young person's assessment in real time.  

The EHC Hub offers a high level of confidentiality. Access to engage in an assessment is by invitation only.

• Young people and families will be able to submit their views online and upload additional information. This includes photographs and images that are important to the child or young person.
  
  
• Practitioners will be able to submit information and advice online. This will avoid any unnecessary delays with the delivery of paper-based reports.
  
  
• Young people and families will be able to view who has been asked for information and advice. They can let us know if someone has recently become involved.
  
  
• Young people and families will be able to view information and advice at the same time as we receive it.
  
  
• Correspondence will be held on the EHC Hub so decisions are shared immediately.
  
  
• Re-enforcing and encouraging co-production of the EHC plan.

Parent guide

This is a guide for parents, carers, guardians and young people on using the EHC Hub. It covers:

• requesting a needs assessment,
• the assessment process,
• an EHC Plan,
• reviews,
• contributing along the way, and more.

Parents Guide

In addition, a number of shorter user guides have been produced.  PDF versions, with screenshots of the process, are available in our download section.

Hub Guidance - Account Registration

Hub Guidance - Managing My Account

Hub Guidance - Requesting an EHC Needs Assessment for parents and carers

Hub Guidance - Contributing advice towards an EHC Needs Assessment for parents and carers

EHC Hub - Frequently Asked Questions for parents and carers

What the Children and Family Act says:

Requests for EHC needs assessments will be considered by a multi-professional panel.  The panel consists of representatives across the education, health and care sectors. 

Decisions are made based on a combination of factors including:

• The severity and complexity of need (threshold).
   
• The relevant and purposeful action taken to address the needs (process).
   
• The resources deployed to support the child or young person.
   
• The progress made.

A decision will normally be made within six weeks of receiving the request. 

You can check the EHC Hub for updates and a named contact.

What happens if the request is agreed?

A SEND Keyworker will contact you following the decision to agree to assess.

Full details of how to appeal are provided within your decision letter.

If you would like to discuss a refusal to assess you can contact:

• Your setting in the first instance.
• SENDIASS who can provide impartial advice and support. 
• Mediation
• The Tribunal service.  You will need to have contacted mediation first to obtain a Medication Certificate.

All contact details and deadlines are explained within your decision letter.