The EHC Multi Agency Panel consists of officers from across Education, Social Care and Health and includes representatives from schools. The panel undertakes joint decision making in order to deliver better outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families.
The EHC Multi Agency Panel considers:
- whether to carry out an assessment when a request for an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment is made
- whether to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan (following an EHCNA)
- the level of top up funding to be allocated when an EHCP is issued
- whether to cease an Education Health Care Plan following an annual review meeting
- requests for changes in educational placement
- requests for a personal budget
- stage 2 SEN transport appeals
The panel may also be asked to consider other complex circumstances requiring multi-agency input in the decision-making process.
Membership of the Multi-Agency Panel
The EHC multi agency panel is made up of:
- Chair
- SEND Service Manager
- Substantive panel members:
- SEND Casework Manager
- Early Years and Advisory Services Manager
- Principal Educational Psychologist
- Early Help and Family Support Practitioner
- Rotating panel members. The rotating panel is made up of:
- Senior Social Worker or Manager
- Health representative consisting of:
- Principal Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist
- Designated Clinical Officer
- Rehabilitation Clinical Manager
- Lead Nurse for Special Schools and Epilepsy Service
- Specialist Health Visitor for Children with additional needs
- 1 Head Teacher (term time only)
- 1 School SENCo (term time only)
From time-to-time other colleagues from across the partnership may be invited to join the panel for training and development purposes. These may include representatives from:
- Southend Virtual School
- Inclusion Service
- Early Years SENCos
- SENDIASS
- Southend SEND Independent Forum - the parent carer forum