SEND support in early years

SEND support in early years

If your child is aged 0 to 5 and may have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), support is available through childcare providers, early years settings and specialist services.

Early support can help identify needs, improve outcomes and prepare children for starting school.

How to identify SEND in the early years

If you have concerns about your child's learning or development, speak to their childcare provider.

Children's needs are often identified through observations, discussions with parents and carers, and assessments of their development.

Early years providers will:

• regularly observe and monitor your child's progress
• talk to you about your child's development and any concerns
• compare your child's progress with what is expected for their age
• carry out the 2-year progress check and use information from health reviews
• seek advice from specialist services when needed, such as speech and language therapy, health visitors or educational psychology
• support your child's learning and development through play and identify any additional support they may need

If your child is not making the expected progress, the provider may use a graduated approach to identify and meet their needs:

• Assess: identify your child's strengths, needs and areas where support may be required
• Plan: agree the support to be provided and the outcomes you want to achieve
• Do: put the agreed support in place
• Review: check how well the support is working and make any changes needed

Early Years Health Notifications (EYHN)

Under Section 23 of the Children and Families Act 2014, health professionals must notify the Local Authority when a child under compulsory school age is identified as having, or potentially having, special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

This is known as an Early Years Health Notification (EYHN). The notification helps ensure children and families receive information, advice and support as early as possible.

What happens after a notification is received

If your child attends an early years setting:

• the Local Authority records the notification
• families and settings are informed
• information about support, services and resources is shared

If your child does not attend an early years setting

• the notification is reviewed by the Inclusion and Intervention Support Team (IIST)
• the family may be contacted to discuss support needs
• information and signposting to relevant services may be provided

Benefits of early identification

Early identification helps children get the right support as soon as possible. It helps families and professionals work together to understand a child's needs and access support early.

Last updated 15 October 2026