When an additional need is identified for a child or young person, whether social, emotional, developmental or educational, an Early Help Assessment form can be started to gather information. The emphasis is on assessing all aspects of a child or young person's strengths, needs and circumstances, developing a plan to meet identified needs and reviewing progress systematically.
If, following the assess-plan-do-review process, the setting requires support from the Learning Improvement Service or the Inclusion Service, eg: Early Years Area SENCO, Specialist Advisory Teacher or Educational Psychologist to meet the needs of the child or young person then the following should be undertaken:
- fully complete the EHA form
- decide on one service to request
- gain written parent/carer consent
- send the assessment form to the local SEND office
- register the assessment with the Early Help Team at early.help@cumbria.gov.uk