Health Element of an EHC plan

Advice and information requested by the local authority must be provided within six weeks of the request (subject to only a few exceptions outlined in section 9.42 of the SEND Code of Practice 2015).

Usually the health professional will use information they already have about your child, however things may have changed for your child and you believe the information is out of date. You could contact your health service provider (or the Clinical Commissioning Group) to explain or request an earlier appointment, to enable the advice to be provided within their 6-week deadline.

You may find that the local authority finalise the EHC plan without this advice in order to meet the lawful timescales, and agree to amend the plan when the advice is received.

Read the information from the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) about the requirements for providing Health advice within six weeks.

Section C of the draft plan should include your child/young person’s health needs which are related to their SEN.

Section G will include any health provision (reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities) which result in the child or young person having SEN. Where an Individual Health Care Plan is made for them, that plan should be included too.

Provision which educates or trains your child/young person should be included within section F (Special Educational Needs).

From year 9 onwards, there should be provision to support preparation for adulthood and independent living.

See also our information about a draft EHCP plan.