Sheffield City Council late with your child's EHCP? What to do
If a legal deadline has passed and you've heard nothing, the council is late. First, write to SENDSARS, Sheffield City Council's EHC plan team. Say what was due and when, and ask for a firm date. If nothing changes, make a formal complaint. After that, you can go to the Ombudsman. Our free tool tells you if the council is late, and writes each letter for you.
Check if the council is late, free
"They come, they assess, they disappear"
A Sheffield parent said this to the Learn Sheffield SEND Enquiry in 2025. If you're waiting with no news about your child's EHC plan (Education, Health and Care plan), you're not alone. In 2025, fewer than 3 in 10 Sheffield plans were finished on time. None of this is your fault, and the law hasn't changed because the council is busy.
Is Sheffield City Council actually late with the EHCP?
The deadlines count from the day the council received your request for an EHC needs assessment (the council looking into what help your child needs):
- 6 weeks: the council must tell you whether it will assess.
- 16 weeks: the council must decide whether to write a plan. Most families get a draft plan by now.
- 20 weeks: the council must send the final EHC plan.
If you're not sure of the date you sent your request, look for the email in your sent items, or ask SENDSARS when they received it. EHC Plan Helper works out every date for you, counts bank holidays, and tells you how many days late the council is. See the Sheffield EHCP timeline, week by week.
Step 1: chase Sheffield City Council in writing
Email SENDSARS (SEND Statutory Assessment and Review Service), the council's EHC plan team, at SENDAssess&Review@sheffield.gov.uk. Say which deadline has passed, quote the law, and ask for a firm date. Putting it in writing is the advice parents give each other most. It creates a record. If you phone instead, send a short email afterwards saying what you were told.
EHC Plan Helper has a ready-made chase letter for each deadline: the 6-week decision, the draft plan and the 20-week final plan. Each one asks you a few plain questions, then fills in your dates.
Step 2: make a formal complaint to Sheffield City Council
If chasing doesn't get a firm date, make a formal complaint about the delay. Sheffield City Council aims to reply within 10 working days. If you're not happy with that reply, you can ask for Stage 2, and the council aims to reply within 20 working days. EHC Plan Helper writes the complaint letter for you.
Step 3: go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
The Ombudsman is free and independent. It looks at complaints about councils once the council's own complaints process is finished. It can tell the council to put things right. How to contact the Ombudsman.
Is "not enough staff" a lawful reason for an EHCP delay?
No. A shortage of educational psychologists or other staff, a busy panel or a waiting list is not a lawful reason to miss an EHC plan (Education, Health and Care plan) deadline. In 2026, the High Court said delays like this were unlawful (R (JSC) v Cambridgeshire). The law allows only a few narrow exceptions, mostly about the summer holiday or your own family's circumstances. See the exceptions in plain English.
Will chasing the council make things worse for my child?
Chasing politely and in writing is normal, and it's your right. The letters in EHC Plan Helper are calm and factual. They state what the law requires and ask for a date. They don't attack anyone. Councils deal with letters like this every day.
Who can help if Sheffield City Council is late?
- Sheffield SENDIAS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support) gives free, confidential advice. Phone 0114 273 6009 or visit sheffieldsendias.org.uk.
- IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) is a charity giving free legal advice and model letters. Visit ipsea.org.uk.
- A solicitor can send a formal "pre-action" letter, which warns the council it may be taken to court. This usually costs money.
For more Sheffield contacts, see EHCP help in Sheffield: who does what.
What to do next
- Not sure if it's late? Add your dates to EHC Plan Helper. If you don't have a date yet, it tells you what to do instead.
- Know it's late after 20 weeks? Write the chase letter now. It takes about 5 minutes.
- Haven't asked for an assessment yet? Read how to apply in Sheffield.
It's free, with no account. What you type stays on your own phone or computer.
What the law says
SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 5(1): the 6-week decision
The council "must notify the child's parent or the young person as soon as practicable and in any event within 6 weeks of— (a) receiving a request for an assessment ... of its decision whether or not it is necessary to secure an EHC needs assessment".
Read regulation 5 on legislation.gov.uk
SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 13(2): the 20-week final plan
The final plan must be issued "as soon as practicable, and in any event within 20 weeks of the local authority receiving a request for an EHC needs assessment".
Last checked: October 2026. Complaint times are from Sheffield City Council's complaint handling policy (September 2024). Sheffield figures are from the Department for Education's EHC plan statistics for 2026. This is information, not legal advice. Who makes EHC Plan Helper.