In Birmingham parents, carers, young people aged 16 and over, or a person acting on behalf of a school or post-16 institution, can contact Birmingham City Council and request an education, health and care needs assessment (EHCNA) for a child or young person. 

The council will review all evidence and decide whether to assess or not. If a decision is made to assess, at the end of that assessment period the council will decide whether to issue an EHCP.

If your child is yet to attend an early years setting or school, early years inclusion support (EYIS) may be able to assist.

If you would like more information about this process you may wish to consult your own independent SEND advisor or for free advice, consult SENDIASS, or another independent advisor such as IPSEA.

If your child or young person attends a school or setting, you should talk to the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), headteacher, or one of the agencies who are involved in supporting them.

The SENAR team are responsible for EHCP reviews and assessments. To make a request, please download the following EHCNA request form, ‘my views’ form, and parent’s views forms, and submit them to senar@birmingham.gov.uk. Alternatively, see section 5 of the EHCP Guidance Booklet for other ways to request a needs assessment.

The following image shows the typical timeline for the completion of education, health, and care needs assessment.

EHCNA TImeline