Statutory Clock
The Children and Families Act 2014 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 set one clock, counted from the request: 6 weeks to decide whether to assess, 16 weeks to say whether a plan will be issued, and 20 weeks to the FINAL plan. The draft has no separate deadline. Every window is tracked and every deadline is alerted before it lapses. The system warns — not the chairman.
Requested 2026-09-03 · current stage decide · next deadline: decide at week 6, 5 weeks remaining
Decision to assess
on-track6 weeks from request (Reg 5) · Owner: ehc-local-authority
Decision to issue a plan
on-track16 weeks from request (Reg 10) · Owner: ehc-local-authority
FINAL plan issued
on-track20 weeks from request (Reg 13(2)) — the draft is issued within this window, with 15 calendar days for the parent to comment, and the final must still land by week 20 · Owner: ehc-local-authority
When a deadline is missed
Miss the statutory window and the case is remediable by mandamus. The system auto-warns the moment a deadline lapses — not when someone remembers to check. The local authority must record the reason. Every missed window is visible on the CYP's dashboard and the chairman's board. The clock is a promise to the CYP that this process has an end.
cyp-001 is a SYNTHETIC example case. No real child.