Cross boundary guidance
The majority of pre-school children who live in Staffordshire both attend a Staffordshire early years setting and receive their health care services in Staffordshire. However, some families who live near the boundaries of Staffordshire access services from other counties.
Therefore this section provides some guidance to services are available in which areas in order for settings to refer to the correct service. This should minimise the time that can be wasted by referring children to the incorrect service.
The Staffordshire Early Years Forum monitors pre-school children with a Staffordshire home address. Children who attend early years settings from other counties will be monitored by similar procedures within their local authority.
SEND Inclusion funding is designed to support Staffordshire early years setting to meet the needs of children at that setting, so settings need to apply for funding to their local authority, regardless of the home address of the child. This is arranged by the Early Years Forum.
EHC assessments are carried out by the child’s local authority based on their home postcode, and not the school address. The home authority will also fund the EHC plan. In Staffordshire, the district which completes the assessment of pre-school children is dependent on the home address of the family.
Educational Psychologists support all pre-school Staffordshire children regardless of their early years setting address. This is arranged through the Early YEars Forums.
Speech and Language Therapy Services are based on the pre-school child’s GP’s address, and not the child’s home address.
Physiotherapy Services are based on the pre-school child's home address.
Occupational Therapy Services are based on the pre-school child's home address.
Health Visitor services are based on the pre-school child’s home address.
Early Years Advisors (Early Year Area SENCOs in Staffordshire) support the child’s setting and can therefore support any children in the settings regardless of their home address.
Autism Outreach Team support all children in Staffordshire early years settings regardless of home address.
HI and VI support Staffordshire supports pre-school children regardless which setting they attend.
Separated parents - Where a child lives with two parents who live at separate addresses the parents who they spend most nights with will be considered the resident parent and their address will be treated as the home address.
Where a pre-school child is looked after to a local authority, the authority where they live (e.g. with foster carers) will meet the support needs pre-EHC through the Early Years Forum, carry out the EHC assessment and write the EHC plan. The authority to whom they are looked after to will fund any additional support detailed in the EHC Plan.
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