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Parent Zone
Free, impartial and confidential support for families who live in Leeds.
Are you helping a friend or family member due to their illness,disability, mental health issue or a substance misuse problem?
Yes? – Then you are one of 74,000 unpaid carers in Leeds, and we are here to support you.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact our advice line: 01133804300
Little Hiccups is a Leeds based support group that has been set up by parents who have children with additional needs and disabilities. There are stay and play sessions, events and information for families.
The Max Card is a discount card for families of children with additional needs. Families simply show their Max Card upon entry to a venue in order to obtain free or discounted admission.
One-stop support resource for neurodivergent children, young people and their families and carers in Leeds. Useful resources for supporting a child with emotional and mental health difficulties as well as making a referral for support around diagnoses.
Education Health Care Plan
The Education Health Care Plan process should take 20 weeks, however, due to a range of factors, EHC plans are not currently being issued within the expected timescales within Leeds Authority. As of September 2025 the average length of time taken is 54 weeks. There is further information available about the reasons for this and the steps being taken by the Local Authority to address the delay here
Leeds City Council has launched an online form that allows parents and carers to check the status of their child’s Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) request.
To use the form, a parent or carer will need:
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their child’s Synergy number - this is a unique 6 or 7 digit reference number used by Leeds City Council to match your child’s record. You can find it on letters or emails from the SENSAP team, including the acknowledgement letter you received when your application was submitted
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their child’s full name and date of birth (in the format DD/MM/YYYY)
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their email address (this must match the one we have on record as the main contact)
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If parents or carers can’t find the Synergy number or think their contact details may be out of date, they can email the SENSAP team at SENSAP@leeds.gov.uk. Please include “Synergy Number Request” or “Email Address Update” in the subject line to help speed up the response.
The status check form can be accessed on the Leeds City Council website