Young People's Frequently Asked Questions on EHC Plans

If you have SEN support but you need more help, you can apply for an Education, health & Care Needs Assessment. An EHC needs assessment is a really careful look at the help you get and the progress you are making, to decide if an EHC plan will help you. SENDIASS can help you with this.

This is the written plan that explains about you and the support you need. If you need support, more than what your school or college can give you, you can ask for an Education Health and Care Plan to be provided by the local authority. Sometimes people may say EHC or EHCP which is a short version of Education, Health & Care Plan.

A draft plan is the first written plan, which might have some changes made to it before it is agreed as the final plan.

Sometimes you might disagree with your college or the council. If this is a problem that you can’t fix, you might need special help to find a way to agree. Mediation is when another person, a mediator, listens to both sides, and helps you to work things out. If you need mediation, SENDIASS can help you arrange this.

A Personal Budget is a list of things you need, and how much they cost. If you need extra support, you can ask for a Personal Budget. It can pay for things like clubs, transport, equipment, short breaks, and activities.

Reviewing means looking back at what support you have had and how you are getting on, to see if things have been going well. Reviewing should happen often. An Annual Review is when, once a year, everyone looks back at the last year to see what worked well, and uses that information to plan for the next year.

You might be unhappy because the local authority have made a decision that you do not like. Sometimes you will have the right to appeal. This means experts will look at the decision and might make changes. SENDIASS can give you advice about your right to appeal. Sometimes, you will need to try mediation first.

If you use your Right of Appeal to ask for changes to decisions you do not like, a tribunal is the meeting where this is discussed.