SEND Portal
SEND Portal
What is the SEND Portal? |
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It is used by Newcastle Council’s SEND Support, Assessment and Review (SAR) team to gather key information around EHC assessments, plans and we will soon be using it for reviews.
It is a secure website where sensitive information can be shared safely and, when fully implemented, will enable parents/carers/young people and professionals from education, health, and social care to:
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Registration/Log on |
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Message to Professionals using the portal: A number of schools/settings have registered on the SEND portal with the email addresses of individual staff members. This causes difficulties if the particular staff member leaves the school or are on long term absence, as it means we need to update the SEND portal accounts for each student account individually so we can grant a new member of staff access to portal sharing. This can cause some delays. To help avoid any delays please can I request that you set up a general email account for the SEND portal instead of an email for a specific member of staff. This will mean that members of staff can change without the need to create a new portal account. Professionals To register or log on to the SEND Portal, please follow this link:
Click on the link below for a step-by-step guide on how to register or log on:
Step-by-step guide for Registration
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Parents/Carers or Young people To register or log on to the SEND Portal, please follow this link:
Citizen Portal for Parents/Carers/Young people
Click on the link below for a step-by-step guide on how to register or log on:
Step-by- step Guide for Registration
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Please watch our video below for a step-by-step guide for parents/carers about how to sign up and submit a request for EHCP assessment through the SEND Portal: |
EHC assessment requests- Professionals
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For professionals the application can be completed on the template below:
Newcastle EHC Assessment Request including Health and Social Care Screening questionnaire
And then uploaded to the SEND Portal on the following form:
Supporting documents can also be uploaded alongside this. |
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EHC assessment requests- Parents/Carers/Self-referral
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For parents/carers/self-referral the application can be completed on the SEND Portal using the below form:
This method allows for full visibility during the EHC assessment process.
Alternatively, the EHC request template below can be used by parents/carers and then uploaded at Step 3:
Parent/carer EHC needs assessment and contribution form
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Benefits of the SEND Portal
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Parents/carers and young people can:
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SEND caseworkers and business support staff can:
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External SEND professionals can:
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Schools can:
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SEND Portal Forms
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If the EHC Panel agree to an assessment, information and/or advices will be requested from the children/young people, parents/carers and a range of professionals (where applicable). Please see the table below which explains what and how each form can be used and also the template that may be used and then uploaded:
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Forms for Parents/Carers and Children/Young people
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Form Name |
Description |
Template |
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Child or Young Persons Views |
This form would be used to provide the child/young person’s views. This form has 8 steps and should be completed in collaboration with the child/young person. Prompt questions on each step can be used to support the discussion. Each section may include a few words, bullet points, short sentences or pictures/photos. Alternatively, steps 1-6 can be left blank, and a completed template could be uploaded at Step 7. Extra information and/or evidence can also be uploaded here. Step 8 is a checking step. |
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Parent Carer contribution and request for a statutory Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment |
This form can be used to request an EHC assessment for a child/young person or to provide a contribution to an assessment when a referral is completed by a professional. This form has 4 steps. Steps 1 and 2 have a series of questions in support of an application, with some allowing up to 30,000 characters of information to be written. Alternatively, a template could be completed and uploaded at Step 3. Extra information and/or evidence can also be uploaded here. Step 4 is a checking step. |
Parent/ Carer EHC Needs Assessment Request and Contribution template |
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Parent, Carer or Young Person form to write or upload further information. |
This form gives the parent/ carer/young person the opportunity to add information to an assessment. This form has 3 steps. Step 1 allows up to 30,000 characters of further information to be written. Step 2 allows further information/evidence to be uploaded. If a professional has requested an EHC assessment, then the parent/carer contribution template could be uploaded at Step 2. Step 3 is a checking step. |
Parent/ Carer EHC Needs Assessment Request and Contribution template |
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Parent/Carer Views – Question List |
This form gives the parent/carer the opportunity to add information to the assessment with a series of 8 questions. This form has 2 steps. Each question allows up to 30,000 characters of information to be written. |
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Pupil Views - Questions |
This form gives the child/young person the opportunity to add information to the assessment with a series of 8 questions. This form has 2 steps. Each question allows up to 30,000 characters of information to be written. |
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Parent or Carers reply to Agree or Disagree and suggest changes to Draft EHC Plan |
This form is used in response to the draft plan. This form has 4 steps. Step 1 asks for some personal information to be completed and whether you agree or disagree with the plan. If the answer is ‘No’ then please give reasons in the text box available. Step 2 asks if the contents of the ‘assessment’ are accepted and questions around placement preference. Step 3 asks if any further discussions are needed. Step 4 is a checking step. |
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Upload or Change an existing Photo of the Child or Young Person we currently hold. |
This form allows a photo to be uploaded or changed. This form has 2 steps. Step 1 allows an image to be uploaded. Step 2 is a checking step. |
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Forms for Professionals
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Form Name |
Description |
Template |
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Careers Advice Guidance |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
Own template used. |
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Early Years SEND Document Sharing Facility |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
Own template used. |
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Education Advice following Parental Request/ Self-Referral for a Statutory EHC Needs Assessment |
This form is completed by school/setting when a parent/carer requests an EHC Assessment.
This form has 5 steps. Step 2 is where the template can be uploaded. Step 3 is where supporting and additional documents/evidence can be uploaded. Step 4 allows extra information to assist the request and assessment to be attached. Steps 1 & 5 are checking steps. |
Education Advice for Parent/carer Requests and Self-referral
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Educational Information and Document Sharing Facility |
We are required legally to send a Notice 2 request (Advice) following the LA decision to assess. As you have possibly already submitted a comprehensive request form, please can you complete the Educational advice form and let us know that you have nothing more to add to your original information in the text box on Step 2 and proceed to the submit form section and submit. If there have been any changes since the referral (such as a child moving, changing who they live with etc) then please enter those details in the text box at Step 2 and submit the form. Step 3 allows you to upload extra information to contribute to the process stating the reason why and what it is your uploading then submit. Step 4 is a checking step. |
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Educational Psychology Document Sharing Facility |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
Own template used. |
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Form to Upload Completed Request for: EHC Needs Assessment for CYP aged 0-25 |
This form has 5 steps. Step 2 allows the completed Request for Assessment ot be uploaded. Steps 3 & 4 allow for extra supporting information and evidence to be uploaded. Steps 1 & 5 are checking steps. |
Newcastle EHC Assessment Request incl Health and Social Care Screening questionnaire
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Medical/Nursing Document Sharing Facility |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
Medical/Nursing Advice Template
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New form from 16/05/2023 Request for: Education Health and Care Needs Assessment for CYP aged 0-25 |
This form was previously used by professionals to request an assessment and so will still appear on some portal accounts. This has now been replaced with ‘Form to Upload Completed Request for: EHC Needs Assessment for CYP aged 0-25’.
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SEND Outreach Service Document Sharing Facility |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
Own template used. |
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Sensory VI and HI Document Sharing Facility |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
Own template used. |
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Service Involvement Confirmation Form |
This form has 3 steps. Step 2 requires an indication of whether the service will be contributing or not, and if so who would the assigned professional be. Steps 1 & 3 are checking steps. |
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Social Care Document Sharing Facility |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
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Therapy Document Sharing Facility |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 requires a brief description of what is being uploaded. Step 3 is where documents can be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
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The Draft EHC Plan Agree or Disagree Form |
This form has 4 steps. Step 2 asks for some personal information to be completed and also whether you agree or disagree with the plan. If the answer is ‘No’ then please give reasons in the text box available. Step 3 allows for further information or evidence to be uploaded. Steps 1 & 4 are checking steps. |
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Implementation of the SEND Portal
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For Professionals, the portal is now open for all EHC needs assessment requests, we no longer accept requests in any other format.
If you are a parents/carer/self-referral we urge you to submit EHC needs assessment requests on the Citizen portal. If you need any help, please contact:
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Frequently Asked Questions about the SEND Portal and EHC request form
- Question 1: I'm a professional how do I register on the SEND Portal and how do I make EHC requests?
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Guide to registering on the SEND Portal - for Professionals.
Guide for professionals: How to make a request for an EHC needs assessment on the SEND Portal
- Question 2: Where do I find the link to the SEND Portal?
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It is in the guidance documents in question 1.
Or you get to it here: https://www.newcastlelea.org/ProfessionalPortal_LIVE
- Question 3: Can I continue to email or post my EHC requests?
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For the time being but we will only accept request via the portal from 1 April 2023.
- Question 4: How do I upload my request and supporting information to the portal?
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On the screen with the listed children (see below) please select Add Person. You then add the child and then you can upload the request.
- Question 5: I've already submitted our EHCP for our children, do I need to upload everything to the portal or is it all okay for this year being the paper/email version?
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You do not need to resubmit requests already made via the portal. But from April 1 we will only accept requests made via the portal.
- Question 6: Does the 20-week process start from the point you submit the request on the portal?
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Yes it does.
- Question 7: Is this just to fill in an EHCP form? As we were told the ASAP form was to be sent this way for claiming funding
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Yes it is just for EHCs. There is a separate referral route for ASAP which you can find here: SEN Advice and Support Allocation Panel - Newcastle City Council (achieveservice.com).
- Question 8: I want to add additional information to support my request for assessment. Can I attach documents to the portal? Can you upload more than one file in each section?
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If you want to add more information or evidence to an already submitted request then just click edit on the request from. State the reason why you are editing and resubmitting the form, on section 2, if it’s a requested document or section 3 where you can attach documents there.
If further information is requested by the SEND Support Assessment and Review (SAR) Team or Caseworker or you want to add further information in the assessment stage then use the form titled Educational Information and Document Sharing Facility in the Assessment Tab. Take a look at the screen shots below:
- Question 9: The system logged me out unexpectedly and my work was not saved.
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The system has been designed to log you out after 10 minutes, we will be upgrading the system which will incorporate a pop-up message after 9 minutes to ask if you wish to continue to be logged in. Before that upgrade it’s best to press the “save and continue” button and then press the “back” button or section heading which allows your work to be saved as some sections asks for a lot of textual answers.
For security we would always recommend you press save and continue on the section you are working on before logging out.
- Question 10: Do messages from the portal come to our email or is it just on the system?
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Messages will go to the email you registered with. We advise that you set up a generic emails account for your school with a couple of users so that emails can be followed up when people are not in work.
- Question 11: If the SENCO role is shared within a school and each person has registered using their own details, can a child's information be shared with access available from each adult?
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A school/setting can have many users registered using their own email address and login details. The Caseworker or Business Support at the Local Authority can then select on each child’s involvement who is to have ‘Portal Sharing’. We advise that you set up a generic email account for your school with a couple of users so that emails can be followed up when people are not in work.
- Question 12: Will I be able to access the two schools I work at from the one portal?
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Yes, once registered you will be able to see all children you work with as the Caseworker or Business Support at the Local Authority can then select on each child’s involvement who has portal access. For example, a health worker will have many children on their portal view and all children will be at different schools.
- Question 13: Will historical EHCPs be put on this list? Are we to use this to complete annual reviews from now on?
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Eventually when we use the portal for the annual review process. But at the moment we are just trying to get people used to putting requests in.
- Question 14: The portal limits you to 10mb which is too small for files that have photos and 30,000 characters is too small for some of the information.
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You can enlarge the memo fields on the online portal forms by dragging down. As below.
The Apostrophe error will be fixed in the next upgrade of the system. Until then to stop the apostrophe error any copied text could be copied into Notepad then copied into the portal fields to stop the apostrophe error.
Unfortunately, 10MB is the maximum size.
The Request for an Assessment form has been designed to capture comprehensive information to get the process started. Therefore, if you have graphics or tables then these should be named accordingly and upload in the last section of the form. There are no plans to allow graphics or tables into a memo field.
All the pupil and parent contribution forms on the local offer page are within the 10mb size.
- Question 15: The portal doesn't seem to like text separated into paragraphs with a space between each paragraph.
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One of our SENCOs has reported this - and she found that it works if she pastes each paragraph in separately.
We have tried from our end and it seems to work. But we have logged a question with Capita.
Please let ann.banks@newcastle.gov.uk if you come across a similar issue.
- Question 16: I've got the dreaded Error code '403 forbidden'
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This is usually to do with firewall or site being blocked - please contact your IT.
- Question 17: I have the 404 Error Code.
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If you get the “Error 404” this signals the website you were trying to reach couldn't be found on the server. This occurs if your ICT team have worked on or updated your server or firewalls etc. To rectify this please delete your saved favourite Portal Link and use this link https://www.newcastlelea.org/ProfessionalPortal_LIVE/ or open a new browser and copy and paste the link. Once you have access you can save this link into your favourites.
- Question 18: When will parents/carers be able to use the portal?
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The Citizen Portal is now LIVE and Parents/ carers and Children can have their own user account and see, share and contribute to their Plan. This is the same system as citizens use to request SEND transport or a school placement.
- Question 19: Who do I contact if I need help?
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Please email:
Portal technical queries: Steven.Embleton@Newcastle.gov.uk
Any other queries:Ann.Banks@Newcastle.gov.uk
- Question 20: Can I add supplementary information to the request form once I have submitted it?
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The new request form is designed to capture all the information needed for the EHC assessment and therefore it will not be necessary to seek further advice from schools and settings. If you feel you have further information please upload it to the portal. If it is at initial stages, you can Edit and resubmit your form and there is a text box for you to say, what is it you have changed and why. The system will keep your first submitted form as version 1 and resubmitted forms will then become version 2 and so on.
- Question 21: How many SEND Support plans would you like to see?
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You can mention on the form when a SEN Support Plan was first put in place. As the SEND Code of Practice states (Page 100), it should be reviewed regularly. Normally 3 terms of SEN monitoring and review should be provided.
- Question 22: Should new EHCP annual reviews include only long-term targets within the paperwork and not short-term targets
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As recommended by the DfE, an EHCP should be working towards long term targets, ideally at key stage. This does not mean that school cannot put in place their own short-term targets to share and discuss with parents, but these should be on an IEP or equivalent. This will then help to identify a small step approach and will be useful to see how the child/young person is progressing towards the ultimate goal.
- Question 23: How many outcomes should be provided for the 4 broad areas of need?
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There should be one outcome for each identified need within the four areas, so if you have identified two issues relating to cognition and learning (C&L), there should be two corresponding C&L outcomes to address those needs.
- Question 24: If you are requesting an assessment for primary age pupils, do you need to provide an outcome for each Preparing for Adulthood outcome?
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The PfA areas must be completed for children in Y9 and above but can be used for any child if appropriate. In Newcastle we want to promote the PfA from the earliest age. This could be developing self-care skills, road safety, healthy eating etc
- Question 25: Who do I contact if I need help?
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For help in how to complete the EHC request - please contact your SEND Caseworker.