Request for an Education, Health & Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA)

For parents/carers in England. Replace bracketed placeholders and delete any sections that don’t apply.

Letter

Dear EHC Team,

I am writing under section 36(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014 to request an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) for my child, [Child’s name].

In my view, [Child’s name] may have special educational needs and may require special educational provision to be made via an Education, Health and Care Plan. This request is therefore made in line with section 36(8) of the Act. Please treat this email/letter as a formal request to start the assessment process.

Summary of needs & current provision

• Primary needs/diagnoses: [e.g., ASD/ADHD/SEMH; awaiting assessment; suspected needs]
• Areas of difficulty: [Communication & Interaction / Cognition & Learning / SEMH / Sensory & Physical]
• Impact on education: [attendance, progress, anxiety, behaviour, exclusions, reduced timetable, etc.]
• Support tried so far (SEN Support): [what, how often, by whom, since when; outcomes]
• Provision gap: [what is still unmet and why ordinary resources are insufficient]

Evidence enclosed / to follow

(Attach files or provide links. Number them for clarity.)

1. Parent views & history (this letter)
2. School evidence (SEN Support plan / APDR cycles / provision map / attendance / behaviour logs)
3. Professional reports (e.g., EP, SALT, OT, CAMHS, Paediatrics)
4. Attainment/progress data and work samples
5. Other relevant information (e.g., exclusion letters, reduced timetable, safeguarding context)

Consent and requests during assessment

• I consent to the LA seeking advice under Regulation 6 of the SEND Regulations 2014 from: Educational Psychology; health (including paediatrics/CAMHS); social care; the school/setting; and any other professional reasonably required.
• Please ensure my and [Child’s name]’s views are gathered as part of the assessment (Regulation 3; SEND Code of Practice ch. 9).
• Please communicate in the following accessible ways: [e.g., email preferred, plain‑English summaries, larger print].

Next steps

I understand the Local Authority must notify me of its decision to assess within six weeks of receiving this request (Reg. 4(1) SEND Regs 2014). If the LA decides not to assess, please include reasons and information on my right to mediation and appeal. If you agree to assess, please confirm the indicative timeline and which advice will be sought.

Thank you for your attention to this request. Please acknowledge receipt.

Optional: preference for placement (if appropriate at this stage)

While a school is not named until a draft EHCP stage, you may indicate preferences here for context.

Version for email (plain text)

Subject: EHCNA request — [Child’s full name], [DOB]

Dear EHC Team,

I am requesting an Education, Health & Care Needs Assessment for my child under section 36(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014. [Child’s name] may have special educational needs and may require special educational provision via an EHCP (section 36(8)).

Child: [Name], DOB [DD/MM/YYYY], School [Name], Year [X].
Summary of needs/provision tried: [brief bullet points].
Evidence attached: [list documents].

I consent to the LA seeking advice under Regulation 6 of the SEND Regulations 2014, and I ask that our views are included (Regulation 3; Code of Practice ch.9). Please decide within 6 weeks (Reg.4(1)) and acknowledge receipt.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
[Relationship] | [Phone] | [Email]