SEND support in Kent and Medway: use the right local route
Kent County Council and Medway Council run separate Local Offers, EHC processes and children’s services. NHS planning covers both, but council responsibility remains divided.
How support is organised in Kent
Many services describe themselves as working across Kent and Medway, but a statutory SEND request still goes to one of two councils. Families in Medway use the city council system; other Kent addresses generally use Kent County Council.
Check the authority for your home before completing an EHC, social care or transport form. Meanwhile, school can respond to needs without waiting for a diagnosis.
Kent County Council’s SEND pages cover the county council area. Medway’s Local Offer is a separate directory for residents within the Medway Council boundary. Each authority publishes its own process information and makes its own statutory decisions.
Independent information and advice is organised locally and can be found through the national finder. NHS Kent and Medway ICB plans services across both council areas, while individual trusts and community providers handle referrals and care.
The local picture in Kent
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 Kent
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | 56.9% | England: 46.1%10.8 percentage points above the England figure | 2025 calendar year |
| Medway | 21.4% | England: 46.1%24.7 percentage points below 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 Kent and Medway
Kent and Medway combines a county council area and a separate unitary council, while NHS services work across both. From April 2026, one mental health trust took on children and young people's mental health and neurodevelopmental assessment services across the system. The ICB said existing appointments and waiting-list places would not change because of that transfer.
Recorded referrals
4,435
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
91.2%
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%. 1.5 percentage points higher than the England figure.
Share of referrals
1.1%
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%. 2.6 percentage points lower than the England figure.
Share of referrals
91.8%
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%. 9.1 percentage points higher 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.
The values come from the published March 2026 NHS Kent and Medway ICB row. 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 | 4,435 | 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 | 4,045 | 4,435 | 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 | 45 | 4,045 | 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 | 3,715 | 4,045 | 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
A new lead provider from April 2026
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust now provides children and young people's mental health services and diagnostic assessments for neurodevelopmental conditions across Kent and Medway. The ICB said existing appointments and waiting lists would not change because of the transfer.
Why this matters: Families already waiting should retain their place. New referrals for these specialist services remain through a healthcare professional.
Read the source from NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care BoardChildren and young people's mental health, autism and ADHD · published 2 April 2026 · checked 14 August 2026
Support information is available without a diagnosis
The ICB's neurodivergence hub brings together local information for adults, children and young people, including everyday life, school support and Right to Choose questions.
Why this matters: The hub can help with support while an assessment is pending; it does not provide an individual waiting-list update.
Read the source from NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care BoardAutism, ADHD and wider neurodivergence support · published 2 April 2025 · checked 14 August 2026
ADHD referral data for NHS Kent and Medway
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
17,535
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
At least 15,330
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
At least 11,300
Open for more than 52 weeks
Possible ADHD referrals recorded in the 52-to-104-week and 104-weeks-or-more bands.
Open referrals
10,555
No first contact recorded
Open possible-ADHD referrals without a first care contact in the submitted Mental Health Services Dataset record.
Monthly referrals
At least 1,040
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 QKS. 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 | 17,535 | 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 | At least 15,330 | ADHD003b + ADHD003c + ADHD003d | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
| Open for more than 52 weeks | At least 11,300 | ADHD003c + ADHD003d | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
| No first contact recorded | 10,555 | ADHD004 | FamilyFX added the published March 2026 age-band counts. NHS England rounds these values to the nearest five. |
| New possible referrals in March | At least 1,040 | ADHD007 | This is a lower-bound subtotal. Small source cells may be suppressed, or a 2026 boundary change may prevent part of the current footprint being separated from a predecessor ICB row. |
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
Kent County Council
Covers Kent County Council area
Use outside the Medway council area.
Visit websiteMedway Council
Covers Medway
Use for a Medway home address.
Visit websiteNHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board
Covers Kent and Medway
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
If your address is close to Medway, confirm the council rather than assuming from the postal town. Use the relevant Local Offer for current forms, eligibility rules and contacts.
In a school meeting, agree what support will be different after the meeting and when its effect will be reviewed. A clear action is more useful than a general promise to monitor the situation.
For health, record which provider has the referral and the date it was sent. Contact the referring professional if that information has not been supplied.
Related FamilyFX help
Do you support SEND families in Kent?
If you are part of a charity, parent group, advice service, inclusive activity or another organisation supporting SEND families in Kent, 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.
- Council for Disabled Children: find your local IAS service, checked 13 August 2026
- GOV.UK: special educational needs support, checked 14 August 2026
- Kent County Council, checked 13 August 2026
- Medway Local Offer, checked 14 August 2026
- NHS Kent and Medway ICB, checked 14 August 2026
- NHS: when to use 111, checked 14 August 2026