About the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
Most children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) have their needs met at Special Educational Needs (SEN) Support using a graduated approach. However, there are some children and young people who need a specialist approach and/or have additional health/care needs as a result of their SEN. This means they need support or advice from health/care professionals to:
- support them to be healthy and live as independently as possible
- be able to access their local community
If your child isn’t making the progress you thought, even though the school has tried to support them, you might want to request an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment.
The Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
An EHCP is a legal document that describes any education, healthcare and social needs a child or young person (aged from 0 to 25 years). An EHCP is for a child or young person who needs extra support in school, beyond what the school can provide. It is designed to help them achieve their goals and overcome barriers to learning.
An EHCP identifies what a school must put in place to help the child/young person and the outcomes necessary to achieve it. The EHCP will also set a timeframe during which the outcomes should be achieved and when they will be reviewed.
Who is the EHCP for?
An EHCP is for any child or young person with significant and complex Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). An EHCP is needed when a child/young person's needs cannot be met by the usual support available to them in their educational setting.
Who writes the EHCP?
An EHCP is drawn up between:
- the Local Authority (Education)
- Health
- Social Care
- the child and young person’s family (or directly with the young person if aged between 16 and 25 years)