What an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) is, when and how to ask for one, and how we decide whether to carry out an assessment.
An Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) is a legal statutory process used to understand a child or young person's education, health and care needs.
The assessment helps us as a local authority decide:
- what support a child or young person needs
- whether an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is needed
An assessment does not automatically lead to an EHCP.
When to consider asking for an EHCNA
Most children and young people with SEND receive SEND Support in their nursery, school or college.
An assessment may be appropriate when:
- a child or young person continues to experience significant difficulties despite support being in place
- support has been reviewed and adjusted over time
- there's evidence that the child or young person's needs are affecting learning, development, wellbeing or access to education
- professionals or families believe additional support may be needed
- it's unclear what support the child or young person needs, and they need further assessment
To ask for an EHCNA, you do not need:
- a diagnosis
- an Educational Psychologist report
- agreement from the school
The purpose of the assessment is to help understand a child or young person's needs and whether an EHCP may be necessary.
Who can ask for an EHCNA
A request can be made by a:
- parent or carer
- young person aged 16 to 25
- nursery, school or college
- health professional
- social care professional
- another professional working with the child or young person
You do not need permission from a school to make a request.
How to ask for an EHCNA
To ask for an assessment, we encourage you to use the following 3 forms, as they help us gather the information needed to consider your request:
- document Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment Request Form(229 KB)
- document Family Views Form(79 KB)
- document Child or Young Person's Views Form 1(255 KB) or document Child or Young Person's Views Form 2(141 KB) (the child or young person can choose which form they'd like to fill in)
When completing the forms, it can help to explain:
- what your child enjoys and does well
- the difficulties they experience
- what support is already in place
- what impact their needs have on daily life
- why you feel additional support may be needed
Try to use examples where possible.
You may also wish to include:
- recent school information
- reports from professionals that may be involved
- support plans created by the school
- any other information you feel is important
You do not have to provide professional reports for a request to be considered.
Completed forms should be emailed to sen@bristol.gov.uk.
If you’re unable or you'd prefer not to complete these forms, you can request an EHCNA by emailing or writing to us instead, at sen@bristol.gov.uk.
We'll review the information provided, and decide within 6 weeks whether to carry out an EHCNA.
You'll receive a written decision.
How we decide whether to carry out an EHCNA
When we receive a request for an EHCNA, we must consider the legal test set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.
The threshold for carrying out an assessment is not whether we already know that an EHCP is needed. Instead, the question is whether there is enough information to suggest that:
- a child or young person has, or may have, special educational needs (SEND), and
- if they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHCP
This is sometimes called the 'may have' and 'may need' test.
If the answer to both questions is yes, we'll usually agree to carry out an assessment.
Find out more about what happens during an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment.
If we decide not to carry out an EHCNA
You'll receive a letter from us explaining the decision.
Your child or young person should continue to receive support through SEND Support.
You have the right to challenge the decision if you disagree with it. Find out more in our guide to resolving disagreements about SEND provision.
Advice and support
If you'd like information, advice or support with making a request, you can contact the following organisations:
- Bristol Parent Carers is a charity run by parent carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They support all families, regardless of their child's type of need or diagnosis status.
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SEND And You (SAY) is Bristol's SEND Information, Advice and Support Service. They provide free, confidential and impartial information, advice and support for parent carers and young people about SEND law, rights and processes.
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Bristol City Council SEND Team can help with questions about the EHCNA process or a request you've submitted. You can email the team at sen@bristol.gov.uk. Please take note of our waiting times which are explained on our Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment improvement plan page.
