SEND Local Offer
Hertfordshire SEND Local Offer
Hertfordshire County Council’s guide to SEND services in Hertfordshire, and who can use them.
Areas we cover · Rickmansworth
Autism and mental health assessment in Rickmansworth
Oakwell works in Rickmansworth and the surrounding parts of Three Rivers, Hertfordshire. Our mental health assessment for ages 16 and over can take place at home, and our autism assessment for ages 6 to adult is mostly online. In Hertfordshire, SEND support is run by the county council rather than Three Rivers District Council.
Who this page is for: families and adults in and around Rickmansworth, in Three Rivers, Hertfordshire.
Mental health assessment in Rickmansworth, with home visits
Hans can see you at home in and around Rickmansworth for a mental health assessment, so you can talk somewhere familiar, without a journey to a clinic first.
It’s for ages 16 and over and costs £200, including the initial consultation. You get Hans’s clinical impression and recommendations, not a diagnosis, and help reaching the right service. With your consent, he writes to your GP, so your NHS care in Hertfordshire stays joined up.
Mental health assessment and triageThe six stages of the assessment
Autism assessment for Rickmansworth children, teenagers and adults
In Hertfordshire, NHS autism and ADHD assessments for children go through a single referral point, the Hertfordshire NHS Neurodiversity Referral Service, and the county says the request must come from your GP or another health professional. You can contact Oakwell directly, without a referral.
Hertfordshire’s Local Offer also says that if you’ve already had a private assessment, you don’t need to submit a referral for an NHS assessment. That differs from Buckinghamshire’s advice, so it’s worth talking to your GP about what’s right for your child.
Our developmental history session is online, and the observation session is usually by secure video, or face to face at home where that suits your child better. Adults can read about our adult autism assessment.
Our autism assessment, ages 6 to adultHow the ten steps work
Goal coaching for young people in Rickmansworth
For 16 to 21-year-olds in Rickmansworth, the Goal Coaching Mentorship Programme is one-to-one goal coaching with Hans. It’s coaching, not therapy, and it starts from the young person’s own goals.
The Goal Coaching Mentorship ProgrammeWhat happens in mentorship
In Rickmansworth
Rickmansworth itself has a few things that suit autistic children and their families. Watersmeet, the theatre on the High Street, has a relaxed performance of its December pantomime, and Hertfordshire’s Family Centre Service for Three Rivers runs SEND Chat & Play drop-ins nearby. In Croxley Green, SPACE Hertfordshire holds an evening support group for parents and carers.
Watersmeet, High Street
Rickmansworth’s theatre has a relaxed performance of its December 2026 pantomime, adapted for autistic children and others with additional needs. Book through the box office.
Hertfordshire Family Centre Service, Three Rivers
Based in South Oxhey, with free weekly SEND Chat & Play drop-ins nearby in Abbots Langley and Watford.
Local support in Rickmansworth
Free and impartial services for families and adults in Rickmansworth, whatever the outcome of any assessment. We list them so you know where to turn; we’re not connected to any of them.
SENDIASS (free, impartial SEND advice)
Hertfordshire SENDIASS
Hertfordshire’s impartial special educational needs and disability information, advice and support service.
Call 01992 555847, Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 3pm and Friday 9.30am to 2pm (answerphone at other times), or email info@hertssendiass.org.uk.
Parent carer forum
Herts Parent Carer Involvement (HPCI)
The official parent carer forum for Hertfordshire, recognised by the Department for Education, the county council and the NHS. It posts regular member updates and runs an annual survey.
Local group
ADD-vance and the Neurodiversity Support Hub
ADD-vance runs regular online support groups for parents, and the county council’s Neurodiversity Support Hub (01727 833963, phone or WhatsApp). Your child doesn’t need a diagnosis to use the hub.
Local group
SPACE Hertfordshire, Croxley support group
A Hertfordshire charity for families of neurodivergent children and young people, with an evening support group in Croxley Green, next to Rickmansworth.
If you’re worried about a child’s safety
Hertfordshire children’s services
0300 123 4043, any time.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
NHS route · Children
Hertfordshire NHS Neurodiversity Referral Service for Children and Young People
The single referral point for autism and ADHD referrals for children registered with a Hertfordshire GP. The county’s Local Offer says the request must be made by your GP or another health professional.
NHS route · Adults
NHS Central East: neurodevelopmental condition support and assessments
The ICB asks adults looking for an assessment to speak to their GP.
Hertfordshire’s NHS services are planned by NHS Central East, the integrated care board formed on 1 April 2026, which took over from the Hertfordshire part of Hertfordshire and West Essex.
What does Rickmansworth say about private autism assessments?
Hertfordshire had not published a statement on how private assessments are treated for SEN support when we checked. Its Local Offer says:
“If you have already completed a private assessment you do not need to submit a referral for an NHS assessment.”
Source: Refer for a child or young person’s autism and/or ADHD assessment, Hertfordshire County Council.
Our guide covers how schools, the NHS and councils treat private reports.
Questions from Rickmansworth families
Can I get an autism assessment in Rickmansworth without a referral?
Yes, privately: you can contact Oakwell directly. For an NHS assessment, Hertfordshire’s Local Offer says a request for a child must be made by your GP or another health professional, through the Hertfordshire NHS Neurodiversity Referral Service. Adults should speak to their GP.
Do we still need an NHS referral in Hertfordshire if we’ve had a private assessment?
Hertfordshire’s Local Offer says: “If you have already completed a private assessment you do not need to submit a referral for an NHS assessment.” It also says your child doesn’t need a diagnosis to get support for their neurodivergence. Your GP can advise on your child’s situation.
Who can help with school support in Hertfordshire?
Hertfordshire SENDIASS gives free, impartial advice: call 01992 555847 or email info@hertssendiass.org.uk. The county council’s Neurodiversity Support Hub, run by ADD-vance, helps parents too, and your child doesn’t need a diagnosis to use it.
How much does a private autism assessment cost at Oakwell?
£1,999, with no VAT payable. That covers the initial consultation, the questionnaires, the developmental history (ADI-R), the ADOS-2 observation session, the team review, the feedback appointment, the written report, a follow-up call within 6 weeks, report amendments and extra letters, and signposting, whatever the outcome. CHECK: one fee for children and adults: will child fees differ? (§1)
Can the mental health assessment happen at home?
Yes, where needed. We know that coming to meet face to face can be difficult, so Hans can see you at home, across the areas we cover, somewhere comfortable and familiar. Young people aged 16 and 17 are offered the choice of having a parent or carer there. Just mention it when you get in touch.
Nearby areas we cover
Autism assessments are online; home visits are for the mental health assessment, across these areas and surrounding areas.
Not sure what you need? Talk it through with us.
No referral needed. Prefer not to phone? Email or use the form. That’s completely fine.