You can request advice from professionals to support EHCP assessments and other education support cases. Request Advice forms enable you to send configurable advice requests via email and track responses through the Advice Collation panel. Before you start, ensure Request Advice templates have been created in Template Manager.
Add a Request Advice Form to a child's record
Open the child's record in Case Management.
Click Running Record.
Click Event, then Add Form.
Select your Request Advice form from the list then click Next.
Select the appropriate Running Record Category.
Click Save.
🤓 Tip: If professionals from the child's Professional Involvements match the default roles, they are automatically added to the panel with their email addresses populated.
Add or edit professionals in the Advice Collation panel
You can add additional professionals or edit the pre-populated list.
In the Advice Collation panel, Click Edit.
To add a professional from the child's record:
Click Add Row.
Select the Role.
Search for and select the person.
The email address populates automatically if available.
To add an external contributor not in Case Management:
Click Add Row.
Enter First Name and Surname.
Enter a valid Email Address.
Select the Advice Form they should complete.
Select the Response Due Date if not already set.
Click Save.
⚠️Important: You can add either a Person or First Name and Surname, but not both. If you enter First Name and Surname, the Role automatically defaults to 'Other Contributor'.
📌Note: If the professional has already used Synergy as a parent or carer, use their work email address, not the email associated with their citizen account.
Send advice requests
In the Advice Collation panel, select the checkbox next to each professional you want to send requests to.
Click Request Advice.
The request is validated, and if successful:
An email is sent to each selected professional with a link to the Professional Portal.
The Status updates to 'Request Sent'.
The Response Due Date is automatically calculated.
The Request Advice button changes to Send Reminder.
⚠️Warning: Professionals must have a valid email address, and linked professionals must have consent to receive emails. If validation fails, an error message indicates what information is missing.
What happens next
Professionals receive an email invitation with a clickable link to the Professional Portal. They can create an account, access their assigned advice requests, and submit their responses through a step-by-step wizard.
You can track the status of advice requests in the Advice Collation panel, SEN Desktop, and Work Tray.