I am making this request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the arrangements used by the Local Authority for making decisions about educational provision and placement for children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Background and purpose of this request
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) set out the special educational needs of a child or young person and the special educational provision and educational placement considered necessary to meet those needs.
As part of understanding how EHCP arrangements operate across local authorities in England, I am seeking information about the processes used by individual Local Authorities when considering and making decisions about EHCP provision and educational placement.
In particular, some Local Authorities operate a Provision and Placement Panel, SEND Placement Panel, EHCP Panel, or another equivalent multi-disciplinary decision-making or advisory process. Such processes may involve education, health, social care, SEND and other professional representatives and may consider information relating to a child's needs, proposed provision, educational placement and available resources.
This request is therefore intended to obtain information about the Local Authority's own policies, procedures, decision-making arrangements and records, rather than to suggest that a particular model or process should be followed.
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Please provide the following information:
1. Does the Local Authority operate a Provision and Placement Panel, SEND Placement Panel, EHCP Panel, or any equivalent panel/process that considers requests relating to educational provision or placement for children and young people with EHCPs?
2. If yes, please provide a copy of the current:
• Terms of Reference;
• policy;
• guidance;
• procedure; or
• other document describing the operation of the Panel/process.
3. Please also provide copies of previous versions of the relevant Terms of Reference, policy, guidance or procedure held by the Local Authority for the previous five years, including the dates on which each version was in operation, where this information is held.
If any of the information requested above is already publicly available, please provide the relevant webpage or document link.
If the Local Authority does not operate a Provision and Placement Panel or equivalent process, please confirm this and provide details of the process used instead for making decisions about educational provision and placement for children and young people with EHCPs.
If any part of this request is considered exempt from disclosure, please provide the information that can be disclosed and explain which exemption is being relied upon for the withheld information.
I would be grateful if the information could be provided electronically.
