Not Another Acronym?! Let’s Break It Down
We get it. The world of Special Educational Needs is basically its own alphabet soup. Just when you’ve got your head around EPs, SEND, and EHCPs, along comes a brand new combo: EHCNA.
Wait, what?! E-H-C-N-A?!
Let’s hit pause and decode it together🔍
EHCNA = Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment
and it’s the very first step in the process of getting an EHCP.
👉 So no, an EHCP isn’t the assessment itself. The EHCP is the result, the outcome.
The EHCNA is the process that gets you there.
🤔You might consider requesting an EHCNA if:
✅ Your child has long-term and/or complex SEND needs
✅ They’re not making expected progress despite school support
✅ They have input from multiple services (education, health, social care)
✅ You want to secure a legally binding support plan through the Local Authority (that they have to follow)
✋Do you know who can request one?
Surprise! It’s not just the school.
You!! The parent, carer, or anyone with parental responsibility can request an EHCNA directly.
Even a young person aged 16+ can request one for themselves.
Yay, you don’t need to wait for school to initiate it BUT it’s always helpful to work collaboratively if you can.
📨 So, how do I go about making a request?
Every Local Authority (LA) has their own system for requesting an EHCNA.
Some use forms, some accept emails or letters but all must accept a written request.
Your request should include:
✅Your child’s details (name, date of birth, school)
✅A description of their needs
✅What support has been tried already
✅What impact (or lack of impact) that support has had
✅Why you believe additional help is needed now
💡 Tip: Attach any evidence you have. From school, therapists, paediatricians, Educational Psychologists, or your own records. This helps the LA make an informed decision and decide if an EHCNA is justified.
⏳Hmm, what happens next?
Well, once your LA receives the request, they have 6 weeks to decide whether to carry out the full assessment.
They’ll review:
✅Your evidence
✅Feedback from school
✅Any professional reports
If they agree, the EHCNA goes ahead and if not, you can appeal (don’t worry – we’ll cover that in a future post!).
So, to briefly put it:
EHCNA = the assessment
EHCP = the plan
You need an EHCNA first to get an EHCP
You (yes, YOU) can request one
Evidence is key
The LA has 6 weeks to respond
Wait, wait, wait! Now what was that about needing evidence?
Yup, as if the plate wasn’t already full now you’ve got to scramble through ALL the paperwork your child’s accumulated over how many years, potentially gathering all the wrong information, whilst simultaneously scanning over something that could have helped the LA to say yes?!
Well, we (ELLES Psychology😉) noticed this issue. So with you in mind, we created our quick and easy Consultation appointment.
And, how does this actually work?
Well…You’ll have to come back for our next post where we dive into more details about our Consultations and how they can resolve all these issues for you and your child💛
So give us a follow and pop on the ALL notifications on our page so you never miss a post! Or if you can’t wait, drop us a comment or send us a message – as we’re always here to talk!
