When your child starts to struggle at school, you inherit a cast of characters nobody introduces. The SENCO emails you. A teaching assistant appears. Someone mentions an educational psychologist, then CAMHS, then a caseworker you have never met. Nobody hands you the programme.
This guide is that programme. For each role you will see what they do, who employs them, and what they can and cannot decide. Keep one fact in mind as you read, because it clears up most of the confusion in SEND: the big legal decisions about EHC needs assessments and EHC plans are not made by the school, and not by the professionals who assess your child. They are made by the Local Authority (the body many parents still call the council). More on that below.
In school: the people you see most
The class teacher. Your child’s teacher is responsible for their progress and day-to-day learning, even when a teaching assistant is involved. Teachers adapt lessons, spot difficulties early and are usually the first to raise a concern. The school employs them. They decide how to adjust their own teaching; they cannot decide whether your child gets an EHC needs assessment.
The SENCO. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is the teacher in charge of SEN across the school. Under the SEND Code of Practice (chapter 6), every mainstream school must have one, responsible for co-ordinating the school’s SEN provision. Working with you, the teachers and the head, the SENCO shapes the SEN support your child receives, and can request an EHC needs assessment on the school’s behalf. What the SENCO cannot do is grant or refuse that assessment. That power sits elsewhere.
The teaching assistant (TA). TAs deliver much of the day-to-day support: small groups, interventions, help in class. A good TA often knows your child’s school day better than anyone else in the building. TAs are employed by the school, and they carry out support other people have planned; they do not decide what that support should be.
Assessment and therapy: the specialists
The educational psychologist (EP). An EP assesses how your child learns, thinks, remembers and copes, then advises on what would help. Most EPs advising schools are employed or commissioned by the Local Authority; some work independently and can be instructed by parents. During an EHC needs assessment, the EP provides advice, and that advice informs the Local Authority’s decision. The EP does not make the decision.
The speech and language therapist (SaLT). SaLTs assess and support communication: speech sounds, understanding language, expressing ideas, social communication. Most are employed by the NHS, though independent therapists exist. A SaLT recommends therapy and programmes; whether a plan is issued is not their call.
The occupational therapist (OT). OTs work on the practical skills of daily life: handwriting, dressing, coordination, sensory needs. Again, most are NHS employed, with independent OTs available privately. Like the SaLT, the OT advises and recommends; the statutory decisions are not theirs.
Specialist teachers. Many Local Authorities employ advisory teachers for specific needs, such as autism, hearing impairment, vision impairment or literacy difficulties. They visit schools, model strategies and train staff. They strengthen the support around your child; they do not make legal decisions about it.
CAMHS. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are NHS services for children’s mental health, covering difficulties like anxiety and low mood and, in many areas, neurodevelopmental assessments. Referrals usually come through the GP or the school, and waits vary widely. Two things CAMHS is not: a gatekeeper for school support, and a required step before an EHC needs assessment. Help in education is based on needs, not labels.
At the Local Authority: the decision-makers
The SEND team. Every Local Authority has a statutory SEND team (the name varies by area). This is the team that carries out EHC needs assessments, writes and amends EHC plans, arranges annual reviews and must secure the provision a plan specifies. Its officers are employed by the Local Authority.
The SEND caseworker. Your named contact inside that team, sometimes titled EHC co-ordinator or plan co-ordinator. The caseworker gathers the professional advice, keeps the process to time, drafts the plan and answers your questions. Caseworkers often carry heavy caseloads, so be kind to yours and firm about deadlines. In many areas the formal decisions are made by a panel of senior officers rather than by the caseworker personally; either way, the decision belongs to the Local Authority and it must be made lawfully.
Here is the law in plain terms. Under section 36(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014, you can request an EHC needs assessment yourself, directly. You do not need the school’s permission and you do not need the SENCO to agree. The Local Authority then decides whether to assess, applying the test in section 36(8): whether your child has or may have special educational needs, and whether it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan. Notice the word “may” in both parts.
In your corner
SENDIASS. Every Local Authority area has a SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service). It is free and confidential, funded through the Local Authority but required to give impartial advice. SENDIASS can explain your rights, help you prepare for meetings and support you through disagreements. It does not make decisions about your child.
IPSEA. IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) is a national charity giving free, legally based advice on the SEND system in England, from first concerns to appeals. It holds no statutory power; its job is to help you use the law well.
Independent professionals and advocates. Some parents commission their own experts: independent EPs, therapists, specialist assessors, SEND advocates or solicitors. You instruct them and you pay them, so their duty is to you and to their professional standards. Their reports carry no automatic extra weight, but decisions are supposed to rest on evidence, and strong evidence is persuasive. If you are considering this route, our guide to finding a SEND professional (linked below) covers what to check first.
Who actually decides
In England, the statutory decisions about EHC needs assessments and EHC plans belong to the Local Authority. Whether to carry out an assessment: the Local Authority. Whether to issue a plan afterwards: the Local Authority. Not the school, not the SENCO, not the EP, not CAMHS, not any single professional.
Everyone else in this guide either delivers support or provides advice and evidence. That input shapes the outcome, so it is far from a small job. But if a professional tells you an EHCP is unlikely, you are hearing a prediction, not a decision. The decision has a legal test, and if you disagree with the outcome you can challenge it, through mediation if you choose, then at the SEND Tribunal.
| Decision | Who makes it |
|---|---|
| What SEN support looks like day to day | The school, with you |
| Whether to carry out an EHC needs assessment | The Local Authority |
| Whether to issue an EHC plan, and what it says | The Local Authority |
| Diagnosis of a health condition | Health professionals |
| Whether a Local Authority decision was right | The SEND Tribunal, on appeal |
Frequently asked questions
Can the SENCO refuse an EHC needs assessment?
No. The SENCO does not make that decision, so they cannot refuse it. A SENCO may offer a view on timing or evidence, and it is worth hearing, but the request goes to the Local Authority, and you can send it yourself under section 36(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014. A school’s opinion is advice, not a verdict.
Do we need a diagnosis before anything can happen?
No. SEN support at school is based on your child’s needs, not on a diagnosis. The same is true of an EHC needs assessment: the legal test asks about needs and provision, and it does not require a diagnosis first. If you are waiting for CAMHS or another service, remember waits vary widely and school support does not have to wait for the appointment.
Who does the educational psychologist work for, and does it matter?
Most EPs who advise in EHC needs assessments are employed or commissioned by the Local Authority, while independent EPs work for the families or schools who instruct them. It matters less than many parents fear, because no EP makes the statutory decision. Whoever employs them, the EP’s advice feeds into the Local Authority’s decision, and the quality of the evidence is what counts.
What to read next
A note on scope. This guide describes the system in England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different laws and different role names. It is information, not legal advice. For free advice on your own situation, contact IPSEA or your local SENDIASS.
Two good next steps:
- How to find a SEND professional, if you are weighing up independent assessments or advocacy and want to know what to check first.
- The free SEND Rights Quiz, which turns this cast of characters into a clear picture of where your child stands and what to ask for next.
You do not need to memorise every job title. Just remember who supports, who advises, and who decides.