SEND support in Norfolk: local help, advice and health routes
Norfolk's SEND Local Offer covers the county council routes for education, EHC plans and social care, as well as activities, health information and support for growing independence.
How support is organised in Norfolk
The Norfolk Local Offer is broad because families arrive with very different questions. You might be looking for help in school, an explanation of the EHC process, a suitable activity or support at home. Choose the section closest to today's problem rather than trying to understand the whole system at once.
If the concern begins at nursery, school or college, describe the moments that are going wrong and what your child needs in order to take part. Ask staff what they can change now. A diagnosis is not the entry ticket to SEN support.
Norfolk County Council manages EHC needs assessments and children's social care routes across the county. Its Local Offer also carries information from health and community organisations, but inclusion in the directory does not mean the council runs every listed service.
Norfolk SENDIASS offers free, impartial help to children, young people, parents and carers who need to understand SEND rights or processes. Family Voice Norfolk listens across its parent carer membership and represents those shared experiences when services are planned. It is not an individual advice line.
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk ICB has covered both counties since April 2026. Actual care comes through different hospitals, trusts and community teams. For a family following up a referral, the provider's name is usually more useful than the name of the ICB.
The local picture in Norfolk
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 Norfolk
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk | Not published | England: 46.1% | 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 Norfolk and Suffolk
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk plans NHS services across Norfolk, Suffolk and Waveney. The March 2026 figures describe recorded suspected-autism referrals across the system, not an individual provider's complete waiting list.
Recorded referrals
6,145
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
90.1%
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%. 0.4 percentage points higher than the England figure.
Share of referrals
1.0%
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%. 2.7 percentage points lower than the England figure.
Share of referrals
90.3%
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%. 7.6 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.
NHS Norfolk and Suffolk began on 1 April 2026, so FamilyFX reconciled the final March Sub-ICB rows to the new statutory footprint. The calculation uses source rows 06L, 07K, 26A. 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 | 6,145 | 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 | 5,535 | 6,145 | 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 | 55 | 5,535 | 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 | 5,000 | 5,535 | 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 statutory footprint from April 2026
NHS England lists NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board among the 36 ICBs operating from 1 April 2026. Its footprint covers Norfolk, Suffolk and Waveney.
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 Norfolk and Suffolk.
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 Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care BoardCurrent NHS system and pathway information · checked 14 August 2026
ADHD referral data for NHS Norfolk and Suffolk
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
Partial: 21,075
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
Partial: 18,980
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
Partial: 13,295
Open for more than 52 weeks
Possible ADHD referrals recorded in the 52-to-104-week and 104-weeks-or-more bands.
Open referrals
Partial: 13,750
No first contact recorded
Open possible-ADHD referrals without a first care contact in the submitted Mental Health Services Dataset record.
Monthly referrals
Partial: 770
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.
The displayed subtotal covers the former Norfolk and Waveney ICB. Suffolk is omitted because its March 2026 row also includes North East Essex, which moved to a different current ICB and cannot be separated in this file. The displayed figures add the published March 2026 age-band values for predecessor code or codes QMM.
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 | Partial: 21,075 | ADHD003 | 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 13 weeks | Partial: 18,980 | 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 | Partial: 13,295 | 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 | Partial: 13,750 | ADHD004 | 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. |
| New possible referrals in March | Partial: 770 | 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
Norfolk County Council
Covers Norfolk
Handles EHC needs assessments and children's social care; the Local Offer brings county information together.
Visit websiteNorfolk SENDIASS
Covers Norfolk
Explains SEND rights and processes to children, young people and families who need individual advice.
Visit websiteFamily Voice Norfolk
Covers Norfolk
Brings families' collective experience into service planning; it is not an individual advice line.
Visit websiteNHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board
Covers Norfolk and Suffolk
Plans NHS services across both counties; hospitals and community providers deliver the care.
Visit websiteNHS England
Use current NHS guidance for urgent health or mental health help.
Visit websiteServices and local pathways
Norfolk SEND Local Offer
Norfolk County Council
Search by today's need and check each listing's age, location and referral rules.
Who it is for: Children and young people aged 0 to 25 with SEND, and their families, in Norfolk.
How to access it: Browse by support need and check the service entry for current location, age and referral rules.
Check current detailsNorfolk SENDIASS advice
Norfolk SENDIASS
For help understanding a letter, decision, meeting or SEND process.
Who it is for: Children and young people with SEND, and their parents or carers, in Norfolk.
How to access it: Read the information zone, book an appointment or use a current drop-in listed by the service.
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
In education, ask the teacher or SENCO to be specific about the support: what will happen, how often, who will do it and what improvement everyone hopes to see. Put a date in the diary to revisit the plan.
Norfolk SENDIASS can help you unpack a letter, understand the EHC process or consider what to do when you disagree. For short breaks, social care or activities, read the eligibility and access details carefully: some services accept direct enquiries, while others require an assessment or referral.
If a health referral seems to have disappeared into the system, ask the referrer which provider received it and how that service acknowledges referrals. This gives you a named place to contact rather than a region-wide organisation to search.
Related FamilyFX help
Do you support SEND families in Norfolk?
If you are part of a charity, parent group, advice service, inclusive activity or another organisation supporting SEND families in Norfolk, 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.
- Family Voice Norfolk, checked 14 August 2026
- NHS Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, checked 14 August 2026
- NHS: when to use 111, checked 14 August 2026
- Norfolk SEND Local Offer, checked 13 August 2026
- Norfolk SENDIASS, checked 14 August 2026