Why has the service changed their referral system?

The move to an online referral system is to provide a quicker and more secure streamlined system. Parent/carers will receive a confirmation email containing team information including our leaflet.

Why do we have to submit evidence?

You have always needed to submit evidence to enable the team to understand the SEN support you have put in place and the level of the child’s need(s).

What evidence will be accepted?

All evidence should be submitted with parent/carer’s consent.

SEN Support Plan or documentation that clearly shows at least one Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.

Recent reports/ Observations from other professionals, such as Community Paediatricians, Speech and Language Therapy, hospital etc.

Why do I have to do the referral in one session?

The system does not have the “save” ability, therefore you must complete the referral in one session.

Is there a time limit for completing the referral?

Yes you must have all your information ready before you start the referral you do not have the option to save and return. The system will time out after 60 minutes and your referral will no longer be viable for submission to the service. You will need to start a fresh session and start the process again.

Why is there a size limit on the uploads?

All systems will have a limit on upload sizes. Please be aware that attaching certain document formats such as photographs will take up a large amount of data, we would suggest PDFs and Word documents to reduce this.

How do I store parent/carer consent?

You will need to decide how you hold and retain this information.

What happens if the parent/carer does not have an email address?

Please discuss this with the parent/carer and if an email address is not possible, please contact your Area SENCo for advice.

What happens if the referral doesn’t submit? How will I know?

Page eight is your confirmation. If for any reason the referral does not submit you will be notified on this page. You will then need to start the referral again in a fresh session. The most likely cause of submitting failure is the session timed out or the uploading of evidence. Please ensure you have read and understood the guidance on page one to avoid this scenario.

Why are we being asked for more information than before?

The questions are the same as the old paper version.

Why has the referral page changed since the last time I used it?

We are in the process of updating information on our web pages, but the links will not change.

How can I save the webpage as a favourite, so I don’t have to keep looking for it?

Open the Early years targeted and specialist services link and using the star symbol on the address bar, add to favourites and option to add to favourites bar. Once you have refreshed your page you will see the link under your address bar for quick access.