My child’s EHC plan annual review is coming up and their school is arranging the meeting. I would like their therapist to provide information to the school before the meeting, and to attend it. Is this possible?

Yes, it is possible.

Under The SEND Regulations 2014, before an annual review meeting takes place the person organising it must get information from:

you
the head teacher of the setting
an LA SEND officer
a health care professional which the responsible commissioning body (usually the ICB) has identified as someone who can provide advice about health care provision about your child, and
an officer from the LA’s social care team.

These people must also all be invited to attend the annual review meeting (but don’t have a duty to attend).

The regulations do not say that a particular person within healthcare who is working with your child must provide information (or be invited).

However, if you want a particular healthcare professional such as your child’s therapist to attend, firstly check to see what your child’s EHC plan says and:

If:	Then:
Section F of the plan includes provision that your child’s therapist attends annual review meetings and contributes information beforehand	your local authority (LA) must secure this (or be in breach of section 42(2) of the Children and Families Act 2014)
Section F of the plan does not include this provision and is silent as to information being obtained before, and attendance at, annual review meetings	ask: the school to ask the therapist to provide information and to attend, using its ‘best endeavours’ duty (if this duty applies) (although it cannot make the therapist agree to this), or the health service yourself if the therapist can be the professional it identifies as the person from whom information must be provided and attendance be invited. If you do this, explain why it is important for that person to contribute and be invited (for example, because they have been closely working with your child and know their needs well), and for Section F to be amended as part of this annual review to specify that the therapist will provide information prior to and be invited to annual review meetings, and how much time should be allocated for both providing information and attending meetings.