Skip to content

Last month 553 parent/carers and young people accessed our service which led to a total of 2,589 emails, contact forms, telephone calls and face to face meetings. Contact us if you need our advice and support.  

An Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan) describes your child’s special educational needs (SEN) and the help they will get to meet them. An EHC plan also includes any health and care provision that is needed. It is a legal document written by the local authority and is intended to ensure that children and young people with an EHC plan receive the support they need. 

EHC plans replaced Statements of Special Educational Need and Section 139 Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDA) on 1 September 2014.

EHC plans are for children and young people who need more support than their school or other setting can provide. The plans can start from a child’s birth and continue into further education and training.

The SEND Code of Practice says:

The purpose of an EHC plan is to make special educational provision to meet the special educational needs of the child or young person, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care and, as they get older, prepare them for adulthood.                                                                           

 

(9.2)

Also in this section:

Draft EHC plans & Proposed Plan Meetings

Guidance on how to check through your draft EHC plan and how to plan and prepare for a Proposed Plan meeting

Choosing a school with an EHC plan

Guidance on choosing and naming a school on an EHC plan

Finalising the EHC Plan

You should receive a final EHC plan within a maximum of 20 weeks of the initial request.

Mediation

Mediation is a way to try to settle a dispute and involves meeting with different parties to try to reach an agreement.

Education Otherwise (Education Other than in School/College)

A parent may need to educate their child at home because there is no viable alternative due to their child’s particular needs, whether medical or otherwise.

Changing a school placement with an EHC plan

The EHCP is unlikely to remain the same and may become out of date or the child/young person may move to a different school or college.

Moving to a new Local Authority with an EHC Plan

If you are moving to a new Local Authority area, the EHC plan will need to transfer to the new local authority.