Ask for a Child’s Needs Assessment

About the Child's Needs Assessment

A Child’s Needs Assessment helps us decide if a child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities may need support when they’re over 18 years old.

You don’t need to have an education, health and care (EHC) plan to ask for a Child’s Needs Assessment.

How to ask for an assessment

You, your parents and carers can ask for a Child’s Needs Assessment at any time before you turn 18 years old. 

We may check if you need a Child’s Needs Assessment at the EHC annual review in year 9 of school when you’re around around 14 years old.

If we decide you need an assessment

If we think you need an assessment, we will put it together and it will include:

• your views, plans and hopes for the future
• results you want to achieve, called outcomes
• an estimate of your personal budget
• support you may be able to get from Adult Social Care

Your Child’s Needs Assessment lasts until you’re 25 years old.

If we decide you don’t need an assessment

If we decide you don’t need an assessment we'll write to you to let you know. We'll also tell you if you need to ask for an assessment at a later date instead.

We may decide you don’t need an assessment because:

• we think you won’t need support when you’re over 18 years old
• you’ve asked for an assessment at a time when we think it won’t benefit you

Get help and support

You can get help and advice about Child’s Needs Assessments from:

• Children's Disability Service at Seaside View
• Amaze who provide advice and support for local families with disabled children and young people
• Transition Information Network
• your social worker, if you have one
• our Special Educational Needs team