Early Years Coordination Team (EYCT)

The purpose of the Early Years Co-ordination Team is to ensure that pre-school children have equity of access to services as early as possible and ensure that their needs are identified prior to starting formal education.

If a child has complex needs (3 or likely to need 3 services across Education and Health) any professional working with a child within Health, Children’s Services, the Voluntary Sector or General Practice can make a referral request to the Early Years Co-ordination Team (EYCT).

The Referral form for the Early Years Co-ordination Team should be completed by the referrer for each child after discussion and signed agreement with his or her parents.

How do you refer to the Early Years Co-ordination Team (EYCT)?

The completed Referral Form must contain details of all professionals involved, and their reports, a summary of the child’s current difficulties, background information and parent’s views. Supporting information may also include:

• Targets- reviewed/ current
• Setting report/ SALT / CP/ OT/ Physio/ etc reports
• Setting reports or EYFS Tracking
• Risk Assessments

Ideally evidence should be provided of targeted short-term support over and above that provided routinely as part of universal services and as part of the settings general practice in meeting the needs of all children in the setting, demonstrating that you have implemented strategies to support the child and the outcome of this support. 

Any professional can refer a child subject to the following:

• Children aged between 0 to 5 years of age and is resident in the borough of Greenwich.
• The child has complex health, developmental and/or learning difficulties
• The child needs to be known to two or more professional services represented on the team.
• The child needs a joint approach or plan and there is not already one agency in ‘firm management’ of the case.
• or has received a ‘section 23 notification’- health services are required to make a section 23 notification to the Local Authority if they believe a child under school age has or is likely to have, special educational needs or a disability (SEND)

 The EYCT is represented by several services including the following:

• Community Paediatrics
• NDC
• Early Years Inclusion Team- comprising of Area SENCo’s/ Inclusion Workers/
• SEND Early Years (0-3yrs) keyworker
• Educational Psychologist Service
• Music Therapy
• Paediatric Occupational Therapy
• Paediatric Physiotherapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Sensory ServiceOr email: 
• STEPS
• ASD Outreach

The referral form and supporting information should be sent to                   

Early Years Co-ordination Team (EYCT)

Single Point of Access Team

Memorial Hospital Shooter’s Hill

London SE18 3RG

Or alternatively email to oxl-tr.childrenstherapies@nhs.net

Contact: 020 8836 8621 option 2

Early Notification of Needs sometimes referred to as a Section 23 Notifications- Health professionals should also use the Early Years Coordination Team to make a Section 23 Notification to the Local Authority if they believe a child under school age has or is likely to have, special educational needs or a disability (SEND)

For further information- Early Notification of Needs - Section 23 Notification