Local-route checks: 7 September 2026; Medway NHS routes updated 5 October 2026. Everyday-help sources checked: 22 September 2026. For Kent and Medway families, including children without a diagnosis.
A waiting list can make everything feel paused. Start with what is hardest for your child today: communication, getting through school, everyday tasks, or feeling safe and settled. You can ask about support for those needs while the assessment process continues. These routes help you choose a next step; each service has its own access criteria.
Small changes for everyday life
Choose one part of the day that feels difficult. You do not need to try every idea at once. Adapt these starting points to your child’s communication, interests and preferences.
Make communication easier
Use a short sentence about one thing, then pause. Pictures, objects or gestures may be easier to follow than more talking. Offer a simple choice where there is a real choice. Ask nursery or school what helps there, and share what works at home. NHS communication ideas.
Make the next step clearer
Keep familiar routines where possible and explain changes ahead of time. Some children find a visual sequence useful. Ask a professional supporting your child whether a now-and-next board would suit them. Kent’s NHS First and Then board leaflet says to use its advice with a healthcare professional. A plan helps share what is happening; it is not a reason to press on when your child is distressed.
Leave room to settle after school
A child may appear to cope at school and need time to recover afterwards. Make space for rest and familiar enjoyable activities. Notice whether light, noise, clothing or a busy schedule makes things harder. Harmless stimming does not need to be stopped. NHS guidance on supporting an autistic child.
If your child is overwhelmed now, start with comfort, communication and recovery. For persistent, new or changing difficulties, ask your GP or the team supporting your child for advice.
What helps my child: a small paper plan
Optional SENDPath prompts for a conversation at home, nursery or school. Use words, pictures or your child’s way of communicating; leave anything blank. This is an organising aid, not a clinical assessment.
What I enjoy, and what I want adults to understand:
The part of the day I find difficult:
What helps me feel comfortable or communicate:
One change to try together, and when we will check how it felt:
Original blank prompts from SENDPath · sendpath.uk/guides/help-while-waiting-kent.html. Nothing needs to be sent to SENDPath. Keep completed paper or saved copies somewhere private.
Print just the four-prompt plan, or copy the prompts into your own notes. This page does not collect your answers.
Support for you matters too
Feeling overwhelmed does not make you a bad parent. If you can, ask someone you trust for one specific form of help, such as company at an appointment or time for a break. Speak to your GP if your own mental health is becoming difficult to manage. NHS advice for parents and carers.
For practical school and SEND questions, use the Kent and Medway advice routes below. For urgent help, use the urgent-support page.
A useful local-route sheet to keep: Download the free one-page guide and school meeting notes (PDF). Print it or share the link with another parent.
The current assessment update
NHS Kent and Medway says routine autism and ADHD referrals are unlikely to be seen before April 2027 under its 2026/27 activity plans. Referrals continue, but providers place people on waiting lists when their funded activity limit is reached. Priority includes clinical need and people already on assessment or treatment pathways. April 2027 is not a promised appointment date. The ICB says providers will contact affected patients; contacting the GP about these commissioning changes will not alter an existing referral’s management. Read the NHS update.
Kent or Medway? The KCHFT speech and occupational therapy routes below describe services in Kent. For Medway, start with the Medway routes. If your child's home, GP and school are in different areas, ask the GP or school to confirm which team covers your child.
If speech or communication is the worry in Kent
Before school: KCHFT Talking Walk-ins are play-based sessions where you and your child can meet speech and language staff and discuss concerns. No booking is needed. Check the current Family Hub timetable before travelling. Children registered with a Kent GP can use a convenient session in another district. If a speech therapist already works with your child, speak to that therapist instead. Find a Talking Walk-in.
At school: most KCHFT speech and language support starts through the school’s SENCO and School Link Therapy meetings. The NHS referral page lists exceptions, including children outside school and particular hearing, voice, feeding or swallowing needs. Use the route for your child’s circumstances rather than submitting a general referral automatically. Check the referral routes.
If everyday tasks or movement are difficult
For KCHFT occupational therapy and physiotherapy, east, north and west Kent families should ask their nursery, school or medical team to complete a referral with them. In south east Kent — Ashford, Folkestone/Hythe and Dover/Deal — parents and carers can refer, subject to local access criteria. This form is not for a social communication assessment. Read the locality rules before starting.
Write down two or three concrete difficulties to discuss: for example, getting dressed, joining playground activities, or managing a busy classroom. Include what your child enjoys and what already helps. This gives the conversation a useful starting point without asking you to diagnose the cause.
Support in Medway
NHS service change, 1 October 2026: KCHFT now provides most former Medway Community Healthcare (MCH) services. The NHS says to keep planned appointments and use your existing team’s contact details. Read what the transfer means for patients.
Speech and language concerns
Before school: speak to your health visitor, GP or nursery. At school: speak to the school or GP about KCHFT’s Medway speech and language team. Its Medway guidance still allows professional referrals from 2 years 6 months, subject to separate early-years and school-age criteria. You can discuss concerns sooner. Open Children’s Therapies, then the Medway access criteria and forms.
Help with everyday tasks
If daily tasks or hand skills are difficult, contact Medway children’s therapies on 0300 123 3444, or ask your health visitor, GP, nursery or school about support and referral. Check the Medway occupational-therapy criteria and referral forms; age, needs and other conditions apply. The Kent and Swale sections have different criteria.
Free advice about school and SEND paperwork
Medway has its own SEND advice service: Medway SENDIAS. It offers free, impartial help with expressing your views, school meetings and SEND paperwork, including support for young people up to 25. Call 01634 566 303. Find Medway SENDIAS contact details.
Medway NHS transfer, therapy contacts and referral information checked 5 October 2026. SENDIAS details retain their 7 September check date. Confirm current criteria with the relevant service. Read our correction record.
If school is becoming harder
Arrange a conversation with the teacher or SENCO about the support your child needs now. Ask for the agreed actions in writing and a date to review them. Kent’s guidance describes this cycle of agreeing support and checking progress. Kent’s first steps at nursery or school.
You could bring a short note: “The hardest part of the day is . My child says or shows . What could we try, who will arrange it, and when will we review it?” Add the child’s own views in whatever way they communicate. Keep a copy of the agreed plan so you do not have to start from scratch at the next meeting.
An EHCP is not determined by a diagnosis alone. NHS Kent and Medway confirms some children with EHCPs have no diagnosis. If you need advice about educational support or an assessment request, use the independent services below. NHS information about school support.
If you need someone to help connect the services
Ask your GP surgery whether it has a children’s health and wellbeing navigator. These workers help families coordinate care and find local support; availability varies. NHS Kent and Medway also lists local parent groups and separate Kent and Medway services. Find local support.
For free, impartial SEND information, Kent families can contact IASK: 03000 41 3000. In Medway, contact Medway SENDIASS: 01634 566303. Check the service’s website for current arrangements. IPSEA also provides independent SEND advice through its current helpline and appointment routes.
A manageable next step
Choose one contact from this page. Save the source link, note when you contacted them, and write down the next agreed action. If a route does not fit, ask which local team can help. You do not need to solve every part of the system today.
For urgent mental-health support in Kent and Medway, call NHS 111 and select the mental-health option. If there is immediate danger or a life-threatening emergency, call 999. Current NHS urgent-help routes.
A simple sheet for the school meeting
Print this page or copy these prompts into your own notes. You can use initials rather than a full name. Nothing on this sheet needs to be sent to SENDPath. This is an optional organising aid; you do not have to complete it before asking for support.
What my child wants adults to understand:
The part of the day that is hardest, and what happens:
What already helps:
The adjustment or support we agreed to try:
Who will arrange it, and when it will start:
Review date, and how we will know whether it helped:
If you want to explore private services alongside these routes, use our questions to ask a therapist. A directory entry cannot tell you whether a service is the right fit for your child.
Sources and keeping this page current
Original sources are linked beside the relevant information. Everyday communication, routines, overload signposting and parent-support sources were checked on 22 September 2026. The local-route check dates above remain separate; service criteria may change sooner. The blank plan is an original organising aid, not a clinically validated tool. This is AI-assisted editorial work, not qualified professional review. Tell us about a correction.
Help while waiting · Choosing a therapist · Kent therapist directory