SENDIAS - Annual Reviews

Once an EHCP has been finalised, it becomes a legal document that must be followed. EHCP's should be reviewed at least once every 12 months this is often referred to as the 'annual review'.

Where a child or young person has an EHCP, it must be reviewed at least once a year by the local authority. This is to ensure it stays up-to-date and continues to provide the support the child or young person needs.

This must be done in partnership with the parent and the child or the young person, and must take account of your views, wishes and feelings. The review is a way for you to raise any concerns or suggest changes if you’re not happy with the content of the EHCP.

You might also find this video from the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) helpful:

To help you with the process of an annual review we have created an annual review process checklist to help you understand the process and who's responsibility each section of the process belongs to.

Some frequently asked questions about the annual review:

What will be discussed at the meeting?

The Annual Review will focus on what progress your child has made, including their achievements throughout the last year and any difficulties that need to be resolved. Everyone will consider the current support in place and decide if the EHC plan is appropriate or if any changes are necessary.

Who will attend the review meeting?

You (and your child)
A school representative who knows your child
A representative from the Local Authority
A Health Service Representative A Local Authority Social Care Representative
Any other services who alongside your child You can also ask for other relevant individuals to attend.

What is a person centred review?

A person-centred review considered what is happening from the child or young person's perspective. The idea being that everyone works together and supports the individual to make sure that their views and ideas are included in the planning and setting of outcomes.
Helen Sanders Associates have done lots of work on person centred reviews.

What happens after the meeting?

After the meeting, the nursery school or college will write a report summarising the results of the review meeting and set out targets for the coming year. This should be sent to all those who attended the review, within 2 weeks of the meeting. Within 4 weeks of the review meeting, The Local Authority must review the EHCP and they make a decision on whether to:

To maintain the EHC plan without any changes
To make changes to the EHC plan
To cease to maintain the EHC plan

You will then have at least 15 days to consider these changes and respond. You have a right of appeal if the local authority proposes to cease the EHCP.

Year 9 Annual Review

For all young people the Year 9 annual review is the time to really start to think about what preparation or support you or child may need in their continued education or as they move from childhood to adulthood. This is known as preparing for adulthood.

I have had a review but things still aren't working out - what can I do?

The first step is to contact the school, college or local authority to discuss your concerns. If this doesn't solve the issue, you can ask for an early review. Sometimes this is necessary when there has been a significant change in needs that means the plan is no longer suitable.

Young People aged 19-25

At the age of 19, it not automatic that an EHCP will continue, even though some young people with EHCPs may need longer in education or training to achieve their outcomes and successfully and move on to the next stage of their lives.

The local authority will consider whether they think the EHCP is still required taking in to account the preparing for adulthood outcomes:

moving into paid employment and higher education
independent living
having friends and relationships and being part of their communities
being as healthy as possible

A plan can remain in place until the end of the academic year in which the young person turns 25 if needed.

For young people with more complex needs who are likely to continue to need specialist support in adult life, services such as children's services, adult social care, housing and health will need to work together to plan and fund a smooth transition.

When a young person’s EHCP is due to come to an end, the local authority should put effective plans in place to coordinate the support they will need from adult services.

Complaining to the local authority

In some circumstances you may want to make a complaint about a local authority. This could be due to you feeling that they are failing in their duties. IPSEA website have created model letters which create a template of your complaint letter to the local authority. The first step to make a compliant to your local authority to to look at their complaints procedure and follow the process. If you cannot find the process, contact the local authority and ask for a copy, the procedure will outline what time frames they have to respond to your complaint.

You can ask for a review to be held at anytime, if you feel there has been a significant change that means the plan may need to amended before the next scheduled review. You can do this by either speaking to the SENCO at the school or setting, or by contacting the SEN team at the local authority sen@doncaster.gov.uk

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