Moving into Knowsley with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Information for parents, carers 
and their families.

Transfers between local authorities.

What does the family have to do?

If your child/young person is currently undergoing an Education, Health and Care Needs This involves building a picture of your child’s abilities, difficulties, behaviour, his/her special educational needs (if applicable) and the support required to meet those needs. A statutory assessment is a formal procedure which involves the collection of information from as many people as possible who have detailed knowledge about your child. or already has an Education, Health and Care Plan ( Education, Health and Care Plans ) and you are moving to live in the Knowsley area, please contact your current Local Authority Special Educational Needs Team and provide them with the date of your move and your new address.

You should ask your current Local Authority to transfer your child/young person’s Education, Health and Care Plans and their Local Authority ‘ Special Educational Needs File’ to the ‘new’ Authority.

What does the ‘old’ Authority have to do? 

Where a child or young person moves to another Local Authority, the ‘old’ authority must transfer the Education, Health and Care plan to the ‘new’ authority. The old authority must transfer the Education, Health and Care plan to the new authority on the day of the move, unless the following condition applies. Where the old authority has not been provided with 15 working days’ notice of the move, the old authority must transfer the Education, Health and Care plan within 15 working days beginning with the day on which it did become aware.

The old authority should also transfer any opinion they have received under the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 that the child or young person is disabled.

What does the ‘new’ Authority do?

Upon the transfer of the Education, Health and Care Plans , the ‘new’ authority becomes responsible for maintaining the Education, Health and Care Plans and for securing the special educational provision specified in it.

There is an expectation that the child or young person will continue to attend the educational institution specified in the Education, Health and Care Plans but where attendance would be impractical, for reasons such as the distance being too great, the new authority mustplace the child or young person temporarily at an appropriate educational institution.

When you move into Knowsley, the Local Authority may

Accept and adopt the Education, Health and Care Plans as a Knowsley Education, Health and Care Plans - in which case we will transfer all the existing information into our Knowsley format and send this out to your new address

• Bring forward the arrangements for the review of the plan by asking the school to hold an interim review
• If there is not enough information for the Local Authority to decide to adopt the existing Education, Health and Care Plans , conduct a new assessment, regardless of when the previous assessment took place.

The new authority must

• Tell the parent/young person within 6 weeks of the date of transfer, when they will review the Education, Health and Care Plans or whether they propose to re assess
• Or review the Plan within 12 months of the Plan being made, or 
• Review the Plan within 3 months of it being transferred

Moving into Knowsley during an Education, Health and Care Needs This involves building a picture of your child’s abilities, difficulties, behaviour, his/her special educational needs (if applicable) and the support required to meet those needs. A statutory assessment is a formal procedure which involves the collection of information from as many people as possible who have detailed knowledge about your child. ?

Some families may move to a new Local Authority before an Education, Health and Care Needs This involves building a picture of your child’s abilities, difficulties, behaviour, his/her special educational needs (if applicable) and the support required to meet those needs. A statutory assessment is a formal procedure which involves the collection of information from as many people as possible who have detailed knowledge about your child. has been completed.

The ‘new’ authority has to decide whether there is enough information to carry on the Education, Health and Care Needs This involves building a picture of your child’s abilities, difficulties, behaviour, his/her special educational needs (if applicable) and the support required to meet those needs. A statutory assessment is a formal procedure which involves the collection of information from as many people as possible who have detailed knowledge about your child. or begin a new Education, Health and Care needs assessment themselves using the information provided by the previous Authority.

Moving into Knowsley with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or moving from Wales, Scotland or Ireland (or another Country)? 

When a child/young person moves into Knowsley with a Statement of Special Educational Needs that has not yet been considered for transfer to an Education, Heath and Care Plan, the parent must still request their current Authority transfers their child/young person’s Special Educational Needs file to the ‘new’ Authority. Knowsley Local Authority will then consider transferring the Statement of Special Educational Needs to an Education, Health and Care Plans in line with the local arrangements for transferring Statements to Education, Health and Care Plans ’s

When a child to young person moves into Knowsley from an area not covered by the Special Educational Needs Code if Practice for England, and therefore the child/young person does not have an Education, Health or Care Plan, families should contact the Knowsley Special Educational Needs Team to discuss the information the family, home Local Authority or Education Board already holds in relation to their child’s special educational needs and the next steps.

Transferring to a new Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

The CCG is the Group that commissions all the health services for the area where you live.

Where the child or young person’s move between local authority areas also results in a new CCG becoming responsible for the child or young person, the old CCG must notify the new CCG on the day of the move or, where it has not become aware of the move at least 15 working days prior to that move, within 15 working days beginning on the day on which it did become aware.

Where it is not practicable for the new CCG to secure the health provision specified in the Education, Health and Care plan, the new CCG must, within 15 working days of becoming aware of the change of CCG, request the (new) local authority to make an Education, Health and Care needs assessment or review the Education, Health and Care plan. The (new) local authority must comply with any request.

Children and young people in particular circumstances

Children ‘Looked After’

Children who are being accommodated, or who have been taken into care, by a Local Authority (i.e. under Section 20, or Sections 31 or 38 of the Children Act 1989) are legally defined as being ‘looked after’ by the local authority. When children and young people ‘Looked After’ to the Local Authority and become ordinarily resident in another Local Authority area they are covered by the 1996 ‘Belonging Regulations’.

For Children Looked After, the ‘new’ Local Authority becomes responsible for maintaining the Education, Health and Care Plans and securing the special educational provision, whilst the ‘home’ Authority remains financially responsible. Such transfers should be well managed and the Virtual School for the home Local Authority often plays a role in this.

For Looked After children moving between local authorities, the old CCG retains responsibility for provision in the new local authority – for example, commissioning the provision from the new CCG as required.

Children of Service Personnel in the Armed Forces

Service personnel/families may relocate more often than the rest of the population and, sometimes, at short notice. Such transitions should be well managed to avoid Service children with Special Educational Needs ( Special Educational Needs ) experiencing delays in having their needs assessed and met.

If you are a Service family moving into the area with a child who has an Education Health Care ( Education, Health and Care ) plan or a Statement of Special Educational Needs you will need to contact: Children’s Education Advisory Service (CEAS) https://www.gov.uk/childrens-education-advisory-service who can also help in the transfer process between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Local Authority, ensuring that the needs of your child are met.

The moving schools pack is to help you, as a service parent, to support your child when moving schools and is available on the CEAS website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/moving-school-packs

Support for families

Liverpool & Knowsley Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) provide impartial advice, information and support to parents/carers of children with special educational needs and/or a disability. The service can advise you about the informal arrangements to resolve or prevent any disagreements between yourself and the Local Authority.

Their contact details are;
Telephone: 0800-012-9066 and option 2 for Knowsley
Email: liverpoolandknowsleysend@wired.me.uk
Website: http://liverpoolandknowsleysend.com/

The Local Authority will always try to resolve any issues where possible, without the need for formal processes. However, if you are still not satisfied, there are arrangements in place to help prevent or resolve disagreements in relation to education, health and/or social care. These are mediation and disagreement resolution, which are positive ways of solving problems. The process aims to improve communication and help with negotiation.

Should you wish to consider either mediation or disagreement resolution, or to find out more information about what is involved, please contact:

Essential Mediation; Telephone: 01908-889-080
Email: admin@essentialmediation.co.uk
Website: http://www.essentialmediation.co.uk/

Useful contacts 

Knowlsey Admissions Team
Telephone 0151 443 5142/5143/3372
Schooladmissions@knowsley.gov.uk

SEN Home to School Transport
0151 443 2440
andrew.nimmo@knowsley.gov.uk

Knowlsey Special Educational Needs, Assessment and Commissioning
Telephone 0151 443 5145

Office Address

First Floor Nutgrove Villa
Westmorland Road
Huyton
Knowsley
Merseyside L36 6GA

Postal Address

Education Improvement Team
Knowsley MBC
PO Box 21
Municipal Buildings
Archway Road
Huyton
L36 9YU