Arrangements for the Transfer of Statements of SEN

Wiltshire Council SEND Service September 2017

Arrangements for the transfer of Statements of SEN

toMy Education Health and Care Plan (EHCPs)

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to convert all Statements of Special Educational Needs to Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) by April 2018. In Wiltshire we call EHCPs “My Education Health and Care Plan”.

If you(or your child) currently has a statement, it will be converted to a My Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)in line with our transition timetable (below).

The transfer from a statement to a My EHC Plan will be initiated at a ‘transfer review’ (replacing the annual review in that academic year) to which the child, parents or the young person and SEND Lead Worker will be invited. The timetable below shows the year in which you should expect this to happen. The transfer review will also function as an EHC needs assessment which looks at any social care or health needs alongside educational needs.Our team will make sure families and schools are informed (Appendix A) when a child or young person’s statement will be transferred by contacting you a minimum of two weeks before the annual review meeting is due. If you have any questions, please speak to your lead worker.

We will not routinely seek any further advice or information for the EHC needs assessment unless we believe it is required. If you believe that additional advice from education, health or social care needs to be taken into account for the EHC needs assessment then please discuss this with your SEND lead worker.

The transfer review will be completed within 12 months of the previous annual review (or the issue of a statement). Parents and young people (16 or older) can request that the statementis converted outside the timetable listed above by contacting their child’s SEND lead worker.

*Excluding movers in who may still have a statement of SEN which will be converted to an EHCP in accordance with the SEN Code of Practice guidance.

The proposed arrangements for the transfer of Statements of SEN to a My EHC Plan (EHCPs) was first published on the Wiltshire Local Offer website and was open for consultation until 1 October 2014. This amended timetable was published on 1 September 2017.

Signposting to additional SEN information and advice is available via the Local Offer website,

Appendix A: Letter to parents/carers re. proposed transfer of statement of SEN to My Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

Dear Parent/Carer

In confirmation of our telephone conversation, your review meeting will take place on (date) at (place) at (time). This is an annual review meeting to start the process of transferring your child’s/young person’s statement of special educational needs to an Education, Health and Care plan (in Wiltshire this is called a My EHC Plan), where the child/young person has outstanding needs.

Under the principle of a ‘tell us once’ approach, up to date information and advice will be gathered by (name of setting/school) from key people involved with (your child/young person’s name).

At the meeting, we will:

• Review your child’s/young person’s progress since the last annual review and discuss whether it is appropriate to consider ceasing the statement.
• Consider whether your child’s needs have changed significantly in order to amend the statement as necessary. Supporting evidence from the relevant professional reports/assessments will be required. Consideration can also be given to whether further assessment is required and this can be arranged by the SEND lead worker.
• Complete a one page profile to find out what is important to your child, their aspirations and how best to support them
• Develop outcomes and steps towards meeting your child’s/young person’s aspirations
• Discuss the provision that education, health and social care may be making to support your child/young person to achieve those outcomes

The annual review documentation will be completed by the school and sent (with updated reports) to your SEND lead worker. The Local Authority will then decide whether to cease the statement or convert it to a My EHC Plan.

If the LA agrees to convert the statement to a My EHC Plan then the LA will also make a recommendation regarding the level of provision which is appropriate to meet your child’s needs. At this point you will receive a Proposed My EHC Plan for your consideration and feedback. You can, at any point, request a further meeting with the SEND LW should you wish to discuss the contents of the My EHC Plan further.

Once the transfer process has commenced, appeal rights under the 1996 Act are replaced by those under the 2014 Act.

The Parent Partnership Service can be contacted if you would like the services of an advocate during this process, please see enclosed.

The LA is keen to work with you and your child to ensure that the transition to the new My EHC Plan is a smooth and successful process. Therefore, if you have any queries, or wish to discuss further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Page 1 of 3