For some children, additional needs or disabilities can be identified from birth or at an early age.
Health practitioners, such as paediatricians, health visitors or speech and language therapists, are often the first to raise concerns about a child’s development. These professionals are ideally placed to identify children who are likely to have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and discuss this with their parents, carers or guardians.
Section 23 of the Children and Families Act 2014 relates to the duties placed on integrated care boards, NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. They must tell the appropriate local authority if they identify a child under compulsory school age as having, or probably having, a special educational need, a disability or both.
The guidance and online form for notifying the council and, if appropriate, making a referral, is set out on our SEND local offer pages. This guidance explains what you need to do and what evidence is needed before filling in the form
The form is split into 2 parts:
- part 1: notification only
- part 2: referral
Fill in part 1 to notify us. If you need to make a referral, you can continue with part 2 of the form.
Read guidance and notify us of a child with SEND (SEND local offer website)