EHCP Help / Advice & next steps
Questions to ask before booking an assessment
You do not need to know which professional you need yet. Start with the question you want answered.
Quick answer
Check aims, qualifications, reports, costs and how evidence may be used. Clarify the question first, then compare the most relevant free and professional routes.
What this means
Check aims, qualifications, reports, costs and how evidence may be used. This is general information and does not replace clinical, medical, legal, school or local authority advice.
Different professionals assess different areas. It can help to clarify the concern, evidence already available and how a report may be used.
Free school, NHS, SENDIASS and Local Offer routes may be useful before paying for assessment.
What to do next
Things to check
Questions to ask
Local Northamptonshire route
Check the Northamptonshire Local Offer and relevant local SENDIASS service for free route information.
Free support and useful links
Professional help is available if you need it
Professional assessment is optional and should match the question you need answered.
What happens next?
Review the report or advice with school and relevant services, then decide what support or evidence is needed next.
Support that may help
School SENCO · SENDIASS · Educational psychologist · Speech and language therapist · Occupational therapist · Relevant assessment service
Helpful free resources
SEND Compass provides general information to help families understand possible next steps. It does not replace legal, medical or local authority advice.