EHCP support and advocacy in Crawley

Which council is responsible for your family?

The main education authority covered by this guide is West Sussex. This is an area signpost, not a decision about an individual address. Start with your home address, rather than the name of the school, postal town or district council.

1. Use GOV.UK’s council finder with your home postcode.
2. Where it returns both a district and county council, use the authority responsible for education/SEND.
3. Confirm with that SEND team before sending records if the address is near a boundary, your family has moved, care arrangements are unusual or another authority is already involved. Ask which authority is handling the request and keep the reply.

Attending a school over the council boundary does not by itself transfer an assessment request to that school’s council.

Practical questions for families in Crawley

Other local resources to explore

• Crawley Bewbush Best Start Family Hub

  Dorsten Square hub publishes sensory resources, social/play space and free public computers; accessible venue details and current sessions on official page.

• Reaching Families Umbrellas

  Current list has county venues and online Zoom support, not a Crawley venue. Present online access honestly and check current sessions.

What should I keep ready before asking for help?

Keep the council letter and its date, the latest plan or draft, school support records and relevant existing reports. Note your child’s views, communication needs and the provision that is missing or unclear. Ask an adviser to distinguish an assessment refusal, a refusal to issue a plan, disputed wording and failure to deliver existing provision: they may need different next steps.

Can I get help without an EHCP?

Free SEND advice can help you understand SEN support and whether to request an assessment. You do not need to purchase a private report or advocacy package before seeking that advice.

Your rights in England

You can request an EHC needs assessment yourself. Explain the special educational needs your child has or may have and why provision through an EHC plan may be needed. A school’s support can help, but its agreement is not a precondition. After compulsory school age, rights generally belong to the young person; confirm who is entitled to act and how they want to participate. There is no legally prescribed council form or portal you must use.

Keep your request, supporting evidence and proof of receipt. The usual period for the decision whether to assess is six weeks; where a plan is issued, the usual overall limit is 20 weeks from receipt of the assessment request, subject to the statutory exceptions. Local processes do not replace national legal duties.

If the council refuses to assess, refuses to issue a plan or makes another appealable EHC decision, read the decision letter and appeal information promptly. The usual appeal receipt deadline is two months from the decision letter or one month from the mediation certificate, whichever is later. A complaint or informal discussion does not automatically preserve an appeal deadline. In most cases you must contact a mediation adviser before appealing, but you do not have to attend mediation. A Section I-only appeal is an exception to the mediation-advice requirement.

• IPSEA: requesting an assessment
• HMCTS: appeal an EHC plan decision
• HMCTS: mediation before appeal
• GOV.UK: requesting and creating an EHC plan
• HMCTS: appeal deadlines and submission

Do I need an EHCP or SEND solicitor in Crawley?

You do not have to instruct a solicitor to request an EHC needs assessment or bring a SEND Tribunal appeal. You can prepare the request or appeal yourself and present your own case. Choose support according to the issue, the evidence, your capacity to manage the work and any deadlines.

Self-help

Use the national guides, keep a dated record and set out the educational needs and provision clearly.

Free advice

Your local SENDIASS, IPSEA and SOS!SEN offer information or advice. Availability and the level of individual help vary. A parent-carer forum represents collective family views and may offer peer support; do not assume it undertakes individual appeals.

Independent paid advocacy

Optional help can include organising evidence, correspondence, meetings, appeal preparation and agreed hearing representation. Ask about experience, exact scope, fees, complaints arrangements and any work that requires legal advice.

A specialist solicitor

Specialist legal advice may be appropriate for failure to deliver provision, possible judicial review, urgent or complex legal issues, or an appeal on a point of law. Check the solicitor’s relevant experience and regulatory status. Check legal-aid eligibility; funding for advice and funding for hearing representation are different questions.

Little Nellie’s provides independent SEND support and advocacy, not a solicitor’s service. We confirm whether the work falls within our scope and explain when specialist legal advice is needed. Our England-wide service does not mean we have a local office in Crawley.

• IPSEA: requesting an assessment
• HMCTS: presenting your case
• GOV.UK: check legal aid
• Judicial review: pre-action protocol
• IPSEA: choosing help and legal-aid scope

How Little Nellie’s can help your family in Crawley

Start with the stage you have reached: a request for assessment, a refusal, a draft or final plan, mediation, an annual review or an appeal. We can help identify evidence gaps, prepare documents and correspondence, work on proposed plan wording and provide agreed advocacy or Tribunal support. A new assessment or Evidence Pack is not automatically necessary.

We support families in England. The initial conversation can establish your stage and deadlines; document review and individual case advice are separate paid work. Tell us about communication and accessibility needs. Confirm remote arrangements, any meeting attendance, practitioner availability and any travel costs in writing. Tribunal attendance may be in person or by video as directed and agreed; this is not a promise of routine home visits in Crawley.

Our practice base is in Grantham. We are independent of the council and the free services linked on this page. Those services are options you can contact directly.

Fees and the work to agree

Published consumer fees include VAT. These figures were checked against our fees page on 13 November 2026. Every instruction receives a written quote identifying the agreed work, total, payment stages and separate charges.

Statutory mediation is free; our mediation fees are for optional support. Appeal preparation and hearing representation are separate stages. The written quote explains overlap, payment timing and what happens if agreement is reached before a hearing.

Sources and checks

Local source checks: 2026-11-13.

Local processes and provider availability can change. Follow the original sources for current arrangements and contact us if a link or detail needs correction.