The CSP co-ordinator named on the plan is the person responsible for making sure that the support written into your child’s CSP is provided to them. The CSP co-ordinator will often be someone from your child’s school or nursery, such as a deputy head or head teacher, but it can also be a professional from another agency, or an officer at the local authority.

The CSP co-ordinator should work closely with the team who support your child. They should know what to do if there are any issues with their support provision. For example, if there are any breaks in your child’s support (for example due to staff absence), the CSP co-ordinator must contact the relevant agency to make sure alternative arrangements are in place for your child.

If you feel that your child is not getting the support that is set out in the CSP, you should discuss your concerns with the CSP co-ordinator in the first instance. If you continue to feel that the support is not being delivered, you can ask for mediation or refer your concerns to the Additional Support Needs Tribunal. See ‘What can I do if I am not happy with a decision about my child’s CSP?’ below for more about this.

The local authority must review your child’s CSP at least every 12 months, making changes to it as needed. They must complete the review within 12 weeks of the expiry date on the CSP (usually the anniversary of the date the CSP was last signed off by the local authority). There are some exceptions to this timescale, with an absolute maximum time of 20 weeks to complete the review.

Reviews can take place earlier if there has been a significant change in your child’s circumstances. The local authority can arrange this, and you also have the right to request an early review. If you do this, the local authority has four weeks to let you know if they agree to the early review.

The local authority should make sure that everyone involved receives advance notice of review meetings, giving enough time to make any changes and for the plan to be signed off within the 12-week timescale.

During the review, the local authority must ask for your and your child’s views. They should consider:

If the local authority fails to complete the review within the 12-week timescale, or if the outcome of the review is that your child no longer needs a CSP and you disagree, you can refer this to the Additional Support Needs Tribunal. See the next section for more about this.

It is always a good idea to try and resolve any disagreements without using formal or legal routes. Here are some steps you can take:

You can also refer your disagreement about the CSP to the Additional Support Needs Tribunal. This is called ‘making a reference’. You can do this if:

You have two months to make a reference to the Tribunal from:

Let’s Talk ASN is a free advocacy and legal support service that can help you to make a reference to the tribunal. You can call them on 0141 445 1955 or email letstalkasn@edlaw.org.uk Find out much more about the tribunal and how to make a reference on our Additional Support Needs Tribunal page.

Sometimes the local authority may decide that a child or young person no longer requires a co-ordinated support plan (CSP). This decision should only be made after a review of the plan and careful discussion with everyone involved. 

Why might a CSP be discontinued? 

A CSP can only be withdrawn if the local authority or the Additional Support Needs Tribunal decides it is no longer needed. This might happen when: 

If the local authority is thinking about discontinuing a CSP, they should explain clearly why they believe it is no longer required and how your child’s support needs will continue to be met. 

You should be involved in the decision 

Before the local authority decides to discontinue a CSP, they must tell you and your child or the young person, what they are planning and why. They should give you the chance to share your views and discuss this with professionals already involved in your child’s support. 

The local authority must not end the CSP straight away. They must give you at least two months’ notice before doing so. This is to allow time for you to consider the decision and, if needed, make an appeal to the Additional Support Needs Tribunal. 

Support should not just stop 

Even if the CSP is discontinued, support for your child or young person should not suddenly stop. The local authority still has a duty to make sure the child gets the assistance they need in accordance with the agreed duration of the CSP and beyond this, your child continues to have the same rights as all children with additional support needs to receive the support they require to fully benefit from their education. 

If a CSP is removed, support should continue through another plan, such as a child’s plan, an individualised education plan (IEP), or other support arrangements agreed with the school and local authority. 

If your child is moving on from school, their transition to further education, training, or adult services should be carefully planned so there are no gaps in support. You can ask your local authority or school to explain what support will continue and who will be responsible for putting it in place. 

Your rights if you disagree 

If you do not agree with the decision to discontinue the CSP, you have the right to: 

The local authority must give you written notice of its decision and explain your rights to challenge it. You can contact the Enquire Helpline for independent advice on how to ask for a review or make a referral to the ASN Tribunal, or you can visit our page on the More formal routes for resolving disagreements. 

A co-ordinated support plan (CSP) is an education plan that only applies while the local authority has responsibility for a child or young person’s school education. 
Once they leave school, whether for an education course, work, training (such as skills or employability programmes), or adult services, the local authority’s education duties no longer apply. 

After a young person has left school, they are no longer covered by the Additional Support for Learning Act which covers all duties related to CSPs, even if they are under 18. Support after that point usually comes through adult social care, continuing support services, or your local authorities transition planning framework, rather than a CSP. 

Post-school transitions and social work support 

When your child moves from school to another setting, it’s important that planning involves the right people, including the education authority and, where needed, agencies such as social work or health. 

To help make sure support continues smoothly, you should: 

You can find further information on our Planning for leaving school page.  

Supporting Children’s Learning: Statutory Guidance on the Education (Additional Support for Learning) Scotland Act 2004 (as amended), Code of Practice (2017)

Chapter 5 of the Scottish Government’s guidance on additional support for learning is all about CSPs. The guidance also has a template CSP, and some notes about decisions of whether a pupil needs ‘significant’ additional support.

Let’s Talk ASN

Tel: 0141 445 1955     Email: letstalkasn@edlaw.org.uk

Let’s Talk ASN is the national free advocacy and legal support service for anyone who has the right to make a reference to the Additional Support Needs Tribunal. The service is run by the Govan Law Centre and Barnardo’s Scotland, and is funded by the Scottish Government.