What if children’s services won’t do a child in need assessment?

If a family with a child with a disability or SEN requests an assessment, and children’s services ultimately do not carry one out (even if they do offer a different assessment), they should explain the reasons for this decision.

Parents or carers can ask for the following to be provided in writing:

• The reasons why no assessment is to be carried out
• Details of who made the decision and when
• How the decision has been reached (what the decision-making process was)
• Where a different kind of assessment has been proposed, the reasons why it is proposed that this type of assessment be done (again, what the decision-making process was).

Sometimes parents or carers can feel that children’s services or individual social workers have not reached the right decision. Or they are concerned a decision has not been made in a fair way. Where this happens, they may want to consider making a complaint. See our Complaints page for information.