Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities have a duty to assess ‘children in need’ for any services they may need.
A child in need is defined within the Act as:
- a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development;
- a child whose health and development will be significantly impaired, without the provision of services, or;
- a child who is disabled
The local authority must carry out an assessment of a child in need, though there is no prescribed process they must follow. There may not therefore be a formal assessment, and needs could be identified via Early Help or a Family Hub, for example.
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 says:
Where a child or young person has been assessed as having social care needs in relation to their SEN or disabilities social care teams:
must secure social care provision under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (CSDPA) 1970 which has been assessed as being necessary to support a child or young person’s SEN and which is specified in their EHC plan (3.49)
Local Authorities may take into account their resources when deciding whether it is necessary to meet a person’s needs under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (CSDPA), however, if they decide there are needs, these must be met regardless of cost.
You can find out more about social care assessments here Social care assessments - Children and family assessments - Norfolk County Council To request a children and family assessment you will need to contact the Children and Families Duty Service (CADS) on 0344 800 8020 - follow the options for children's social care.