Moving out of Kent during an education, health and care needs assessment (EHCNA)

If you’re moving out of Kent while your child or young person is going through an education, health and care needs assessment, it can feel worrying to think about what happens next.

This page is for families who are moving away from Kent before an assessment is complete. It explains what you need to do, how we share information with your new local authority, and what support is in place to help the assessment continue.

Our aim is to reduce any unnecessary stress during the move and help make the transition as smooth as possible. However, every child is different, so outcomes and education settings can vary.

1. Tell us you're moving

You must tell us at least 15 working days before you move. This gives us time to transfer your details to your new local authority.

2. Review your child or young person's EHC needs assessment

Once your new local authority has the paperwork, they will allocate your details to an officer who will follow their EHC needs assessment process.

If we agreed to carry out an assessment but didn't decide if an EHC plan should be issued, your new LA will continue the assessment process. They will keep you up to date on any timescales and will be in touch if they need anything.

They will then contact their local NHS SEND Team and ask them to review the health section on your EHC plan. They will help your new local authority to understand and check whether the health needs and health support shown in your EHC plan can be met through their commissioned services. A commissioned service is a service that we fund, but someone else offers.

This process is the same if the child is a looked after child.