Moving in and out of Surrey with an EHCP

When a child or young person moves to a different Local Authority (LA) area in England, the old Local Authority must transfer the EHCP to the new one. This should happen on the day of the move or 15 working days from when they were told about the move, if this was after the moving date.

You should tell the school, college or any other education provider that the child is moving. If your child can continue to attend the setting let them know. If they will be unable to continue at the setting, they will need to know so they can take them off their roll.

Let any other people that work with your child know you are moving. This might include their doctor, therapist and social care.

Contact your existing Local Authority's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team and tell them you are moving. It is good to put this in writing as soon as you have a moving date and before you move. You will need to tell them your new address so they can transfer the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). If you don't have a moving date they will not transfer the EHCP until this is confirmed.

If you are not sure who to contact you can get support from the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support (SENDIAS) services who provide free, impartial advice on matters relating to SEND: Find your local IAS service.

Your old Local Authority will let us know of the move and transfer the EHCP, but you should make contact with us as you will need to let us know you are living in Surrey.

When we have confirmation of you living in Surrey you will need to send us proof of residency, which can include:

• tenancy agreement signed by the landlord and tenant
• solicitor's letter detailing the house purchase completion date
• utility bill (gas, electricity or water)
• council tax statement bill

If you have any questions or concerns about this please get in touch through the contact centre.

The previous Local Authority will transfer the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) on the date of the move or within 15 working days from the date of notification of move, if that is after the move.

When we have the evidence of residency we start looking after the EHCP. We will notify the parent/carer or young person that the EHCP has been transferred and we will be responsible for making sure education is provided.

Within six weeks from the date of transfer we will decide whether to review the EHCP, hold a review or carry out an assessment.

We will allocate a Case Officer in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) team who will be your main contact. They will talk to you about school or college options and work with you to find a new one if needed.

Depending on your situation your child or young person could continue in the education setting named in Section I of their EHCP. This will depend on individual circumstances, please discuss this with your Case Officer.

When you have moved to Surrey, the previous Local Authority (LA) will transfer the assessment process over to us.
You will need to provide proof of residency to us so that we can continue the assessment.

The previous LA will share any assessment evidence, advice and documents they have received up to the point you move.

Surrey will be responsible for completing the EHC needs assessment and the decision whether to issue an EHC plan following the assessment.

If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and you are moving out of Surrey you should let your current Case Officer or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Area Team know this, however it will be important to contact your new Council and advise them you are moving.

The new Council will be responsible for the EHCP when you are resident in their area. We will transfer the EHCP and relevant documents to them within 15 days of being notified or on the moving date if we are notified ahead of the move.

If you move to Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or abroad then we have discretion to determine whether to cease the EHCP on a case-by-case basis. This is dependent on several factors such as whether the move is expected to be permanent or temporary.

You may wish to refer to Government Guidance for treatment of EHCPs for details on moving outside of England (including overseas) including:

• ceasing or maintaining an EHCP where a child or young person moves outside of England
• returning to England following a period of absence

Moving area could result in moving health services provider, this includes therapies provided in school, for example speech and language therapy or occupational therapy.

For medical and health needs that need support in school through an Individual Health Care Plan (IHCP), schools are responsible for these. If you have an IHCP from a previous setting, you may wish to share this with the new school to help them understand and meet your child's health needs.

A child or young person must receive education, but when moves take place finding the right school or college may take time. If a child or young person does not have a setting to attend, we will provide alternative education.

If your child or young person needs to find a new school or college you can let us know what your preference is. To help you decide your preference you can look at the Directory of Surrey schools and also view the school's websites to read their Special Educational Needs (SEN) Policy and SEN information report. This will explain how they support children with SEN. You can visit schools in the area. We will consult with the nearest appropriate setting and your preference. Your Case Officer will discuss the details of this with you. You can find out more about schools in Surrey:

• Finding the right primary school in Surrey for children with an EHC plan.
• Finding the right secondary school in Surrey for students with an EHC plan

Please refer to information on Travel Assistance as this may impact on your preference.