SEND support in Cheshire: choose the right council first
Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington each run a separate Local Offer and EHC process. The home address determines which one to use.
How support is organised in Cheshire
Cheshire is a familiar geographic name, but it is not one SEND authority. Four councils cover the area and each publishes its own information, forms and contact routes.
This matters most when requesting an EHC needs assessment, applying for council transport or contacting children's social care. A school or GP may be nearby but sit across a council boundary.
Cheshire East Council covers places including Crewe, Macclesfield, Congleton and Nantwich. Cheshire West and Chester Council covers Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich and Winsford. Halton Borough Council is responsible for Runcorn and Widnes, while Warrington Borough Council has its own system.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside plans NHS services across all four council areas and a wider region. The trust or service named on a referral manages the individual pathway and waiting-list information.
The local picture in Cheshire
This section maps the current health bodies serving this area and, where a comparable official measure is available, presents it alongside the national figure. It is not a rating of the area or the quality of an individual service.
Health
NHS commissioning for Cheshire
Integrated care boards, usually shortened to ICBs, plan and pay for many NHS services in England. They do not necessarily deliver an assessment or treatment themselves, and some pathways work across more than one area.
education
EHC plans issued within 20 weeks
The percentage of new EHC plans issued within the statutory 20-week period during 2025, excluding cases where permitted exceptions applied.
| Council | Local figure | England comparison | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire East | 23.9% | England: 46.1%22.2 percentage points below the England figure | 2025 calendar year |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 22.1% | England: 46.1%24.0 percentage points below the England figure | 2025 calendar year |
| Halton | Not published | England: 46.1% | 2025 calendar year |
| Warrington | 73.6% | England: 46.1%27.5 percentage points above the England figure | 2025 calendar year |
How to read this indicator
The Department for Education calculates this measure from the mandatory SEN2 return. FamilyFX presents each responsible council separately and compares its published percentage with the England figure for the same period and definition.
Timeliness describes one part of the EHC plan process. It does not show the quality of a plan, whether support was suitable or what an individual family experienced. A high percentage can also be based on a relatively small number of plans.
Source: Department for Education, checked 14 August 2026. Update frequency: annual.
Autism referral data for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside plans NHS services across Cheshire, Halton, Warrington, Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. The March 2026 figures describe recorded suspected-autism referrals across the system, not an individual provider's complete waiting list.
Recorded referrals
13,485
Open suspected-autism referrals
People whose suspected-autism referral was recorded as open at some point in March 2026.
A count shows scale, not comparative performance.
Share of referrals
91.4%
Open for at least 13 weeks
The share of recorded open suspected-autism referrals that had been open for 13 weeks or longer.
England: 89.7%. 1.7 percentage points higher than the England figure.
Share of referrals
1.6%
First contact within 13 weeks
Among referrals open for at least 13 weeks, the share with a first attended care contact recorded within 13 weeks of referral.
England: 3.7%. 2.1 percentage points lower than the England figure.
Share of referrals
76.2%
No first care contact recorded
Among referrals open for at least 13 weeks, the share without a first care contact recorded in the dataset.
England: 82.7%. 6.5 percentage points lower than the England figure.
What these figures mean
A system signal, not a waiting-time promise
The NHS England measures follow suspected-autism referrals from the referral date to the first attended care contact recorded in the Mental Health Services Dataset. FamilyFX preserves the published counts, shows the numerator and denominator behind each derived percentage, and compares only measures with the same definition and reporting month.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside continued on the same statutory footprint on 1 April 2026. The calculation uses source rows QYG. Published counts are rounded, so derived percentages are approximate.
Important limitation
This dataset is incomplete by design
These are official statistics in development, not a complete autism waiting list. Most child autism assessments take place in community paediatric services whose activity cannot yet be identified in the Community Services Dataset. March 2026 data from Psychiatry UK was incomplete, and a missing care-contact date can mean a contact was not submitted, the person was still waiting, or the referral closed without a first appointment. The figures should not be used to rate an ICB or predict an individual wait.
Show the calculation behind each figure
| Measure | Numerator | Denominator | NHS codes | Calculation note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open suspected-autism referrals | 13,485 | Not applicable | ASD16 | The published count is retained without a population comparison because it describes system scale, not comparative performance. |
| Open for at least 13 weeks | 12,330 | 13,485 | ASD16 + ASD16a | FamilyFX divided ASD16a by ASD16 and rounded the result to one decimal place. Source counts are published rounded values. |
| First contact within 13 weeks | 195 | 12,330 | ASD16a + ASD18 | FamilyFX divided ASD18 by ASD16a and rounded the result to one decimal place. Source counts are published rounded values. |
| No first care contact recorded | 9,395 | 12,330 | ASD16a + ASD18b | FamilyFX divided ASD18b by ASD16a and rounded the result to one decimal place. A missing contact is not the same as a confirmed wait. |
What has changed, and what it means for families
The current statutory ICB footprint
NHS England lists NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board among the 36 ICBs operating from 1 April 2026. Its footprint covers Cheshire, Halton, Warrington, Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
Why this matters: The ICB is responsible for planning and commissioning across this wider system. The provider named on a referral remains the practical contact for an individual appointment or waiting-list query.
Read the source from NHS EnglandNHS commissioning and statutory boundaries · published 1 April 2026 · checked 14 August 2026
Where current system information is published
NHS England identifies the ICB website as the current system-level source for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.
Why this matters: Use the ICB site for current commissioning, policy and pathway information. For a personal referral update, use the hospital, community service or assessment provider named in the referral correspondence.
Read the source from NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care BoardCurrent NHS system and pathway information · checked 14 August 2026
ADHD referral data for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside
NHS England now publishes ICB-level management information about referrals that may relate to ADHD assessment. These figures add useful scale and waiting-band context, but they are not a confirmed ADHD waiting list.
Read this first
These are referrals that may be for an ADHD assessment. They are not confirmed diagnoses and should not be read as an exact local ADHD waiting list.
Open referrals
32,860
Possible ADHD referrals still open
Open mental-health referrals recorded under neurodevelopmental conditions excluding autism, including referrals that have already had a first contact.
Open referrals
28,165
Open for more than 13 weeks
Possible ADHD referrals recorded in the three published bands above 13 weeks. This describes referral age, not a promised assessment date.
Open referrals
17,185
Open for more than 52 weeks
Possible ADHD referrals recorded in the 52-to-104-week and 104-weeks-or-more bands.
Open referrals
21,910
No first contact recorded
Open possible-ADHD referrals without a first care contact in the submitted Mental Health Services Dataset record.
Monthly referrals
1,800
New possible referrals in March
Possible ADHD referrals newly recorded during March 2026. It is a monthly flow measure rather than a waiting-list total.
Possible open referrals by recorded age
Each bar uses ADHD003 for the same reporting month. Bar lengths compare age groups within this displayed footprint only.
People aged 0 to 4
People aged 5 to 17
People aged 18 to 24
People aged 25+
Age not recorded in the source row
How the figures were built
A traceable system signal
Measures ADHD003 to ADHD007 come from the Mental Health Services Dataset. NHS England identifies referrals whose primary reason is recorded as neurodevelopmental conditions excluding autism, then publishes their status and time bands by age. FamilyFX keeps the official definitions, source codes and reporting month visible and does not combine the figures into a score or rank.
FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band values for predecessor ICB code or codes QYG. Values are rounded to the nearest five, and asterisks marking small suppressed cells are retained as lower bounds.
Important limitation
The publication is still developing
The referral category can include conditions other than ADHD, while some ADHD pathways, Right to Choose providers and independent providers do not submit complete data. An open referral may also remain open after assessment because medication reviews or continuing care are still managed by the provider. The figures therefore cannot give an exact ADHD waiting list, a diagnosis count or an individual waiting-time estimate.
Show the NHS measures behind these figures
| Measure | Displayed value | NHS codes | Calculation note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Possible ADHD referrals still open | 32,860 | ADHD003 | FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band counts. NHS England rounds these values to the nearest five. |
| Open for more than 13 weeks | 28,165 | ADHD003b + ADHD003c + ADHD003d | FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band counts. NHS England rounds these values to the nearest five. |
| Open for more than 52 weeks | 17,185 | ADHD003c + ADHD003d | FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band counts. NHS England rounds these values to the nearest five. |
| No first contact recorded | 21,910 | ADHD004 | FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band counts. NHS England rounds these values to the nearest five. |
| New possible referrals in March | 1,800 | ADHD007 | FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band counts. NHS England rounds these values to the nearest five. |
Urgent help
Urgent health and mental health help in England
Use NHS 111 when you need urgent help but it is not a life-threatening emergency. Call 999 in an emergency.
Visit Urgent health and mental health help in EnglandLocal organisations and advice
Cheshire East Council
Covers Cheshire East
Use for a Cheshire East Council home address.
Visit websiteCheshire West and Chester Council
Covers Cheshire West and Chester
Use for a Cheshire West and Chester Council home address.
Visit websiteHalton Borough Council
Covers Halton
Use for a Halton Borough Council home address.
Visit websiteWarrington Borough Council
Covers Warrington
Use for a Warrington Borough Council home address.
Visit websiteNHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board
Covers Cheshire and Merseyside
Local providers deliver individual care.
Visit websiteInformation, Advice and Support Services Network
Find the free, impartial SEND advice service for your council area.
Visit websiteNHS England
Use NHS guidance for urgent help; call 999 in an emergency.
Visit websiteServices and local pathways
SEN support and EHC plan guidance
Department for Education SEND guidance
Official English guidance on SEN support and EHC plans.
Who it is for: Children and young people in England who have or may have special educational needs.
How to access it: Begin with the education setting. Use the council route for an EHC needs assessment or Local Offer information.
Check current detailsFind your local SEND information, advice and support service
Information, Advice and Support Services Network
Find the impartial advice service for your home council.
Who it is for: Children and young people with SEND and their parents or carers in England.
How to access it: Choose your local authority in the Council for Disabled Children directory and contact the listed service directly.
Check current detailsADHD assessment choices in England
If a GP is making an elective referral for an ADHD assessment in England, you may have a legal right to choose a clinically appropriate provider that holds a qualifying NHS Standard Contract. The referrer still decides whether the referral and provider are clinically appropriate, and the rules do not apply in every situation.
NHS England explains the underlying patient-choice rules. ADHD UK also publishes an ICB finder with local information gathered about ADHD assessment routes and waiting times. Its information is independent of the NHS, so check the current position with your GP and the relevant NHS organisation before relying on it for a referral.
Practical next steps
Check which council collects council tax for the home address, then use that council's current Local Offer. Do not choose solely from the school's address or a Cheshire postal description.
Ask school to record the support already being tried, how often it happens and when it will be reviewed. A diagnosis is not required before a school responds to an identified educational need.
For a health referral, keep the provider name, referral date and any reference number together. Ask the referrer to confirm the destination if the paperwork is unclear.
Related FamilyFX help
Do you support SEND families in Cheshire?
If you are part of a charity, parent group, advice service, inclusive activity or another organisation supporting SEND families in Cheshire, we would like to hear from you. Send us your website, the area you cover, who the service is for and how families can get in touch. We check submissions before deciding whether to add them.
Send us your detailsSources and checking dates
Local services change. We check the sources below and review any substantive change before altering the page.
- Cheshire East Council, checked 13 August 2026
- Cheshire West and Chester Council, checked 13 August 2026
- Council for Disabled Children: find your local IAS service, checked 13 August 2026
- GOV.UK: special educational needs support, checked 14 August 2026
- Halton Borough Council, checked 13 August 2026
- NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, checked 13 August 2026
- NHS: when to use 111, checked 14 August 2026
- Warrington Borough Council, checked 13 August 2026