If a health professional thinks a child under compulsory school age may have special education needs and disabilities (SEND), they are required to discuss this with the child's parents and notify the Council.
What is SEND?
SEND is a term used to describe learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for someone to learn compared to someone else of the same age.
SEND can affect a child or young person’s:
- behaviour or ability to socialise (e.g. they may struggle to make friends)
- reading and writing (e.g. because they have dyslexia)
- ability to understand things
- concentration levels (e.g. because they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD))
- physical ability
What is Early Notification of SEND?
Early Notification is a form completed by a healthcare professional to notify the Council of a child under the age of five who may have SEND. The family should be involved in the process.
We have specialist teams and services to support children and young people with SEND.
Early identification of SEND ensures the child and their family have access to the right support at the right time, so that their needs can be met.
The Early Notification process does not act as a referral and does not replace requests for Early Years support or other services .
Submit an Early Notification
Before submitting an Early Notification, you can read our information leaflet.