THE speed and efficiency of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments is a top priority, Devon County Council (DCC) has said.

At present, around 1,400 children are going through the statutory assessment process in Devon, which is significantly more than in many similar local authorities.

DCC says it recognises this can cause delays, and that it is taking steps to change that and make the process quicker and smoother, without compromising on quality or fairness.

As such, the council have made some changes to how its SEND Operations Service is organised; the Assessment team, for example, has been split into two focused groups.

The New Assessments Team will handle all new EHCP assessment requests.

They’ll work closely with schools, health professionals, and other partners to:speed up how quickly decisions are made build better ways of working with schools and professionals to share and develop best practices strengthen the quality of decision-making, DCC says.

The Out of Statutory Timescale Team, on the other hand, will focus on children whose assessments are already underway, but have gone beyond the expected timeframes.

They’ll work carefully and systematically to move these cases forward.

DCC are also trialling a new approach to speed up the initial decision about whether to carry out an EHCP assessment.

The new timescales for practitioner requests (e.g. from a school or health service): will be made within two weeks, whereas parental requests a decision will be made within four weeks.

‘This is a big step forward from the current six-week decision period, and it’s designed to get children the support they need more quickly’ a spokesperson for DCC said.

The authority’s educational psychology team will be completing more assessments by pausing some aspects of their work, focusing on improving the speed that their advice is provided.

The spokesperson for DCC said: ‘These changes won’t solve everything overnight, but they are a start, and to make sure there’s a real improvement, we need everyone involved in the process to play their part.

The council says it is asking its partners, including schools, health services, and other agencies, to help.

‘We know that navigating the EHCP process can be challenging for families, but by working together, we believe we can make the process smoother, fairer, and more responsive to the needs of children and young people in Devon’.