What an EHCP is and who it is for

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document that sets out a child or young person's special educational, health and social care needs and how those needs should be met.

It focuses on what is important to the child or young person and sets outcomes they want to achieve.

An EHCP must be reviewed at least every 12 months to make sure the support the child or young person receives is working for them.

When an EHCP can help

Most children and young people aged up to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), can get the support they need from their nursery, school or college.

But some children and young people with SEND, need more help than is available through special educational needs support. An EHCP can help if your child or young person:

• has high support needs
• has a life-long disability
• is receiving support from a wide range of services
• is not making progress even though the support is increasing in type and amount

You do not need a medical diagnosis to apply for an EHCP.

You can ask us for an educational, health and care (EHC) needs assessment if you think your child or you as the young person, might need an EHCP.

What an EHCP includes

An EHCP plan sets out clearly:

• the child, young person or parent’s views and aspirations for the future
• the child or young person’s special educational needs, health needs and social care needs
• the outcomes that the EHCP will support the child or young person to achieve
• the support the child or young person will receive and who will provide it for them
• how the outcomes in the EHCP will be monitored and when they will be reviewed

Families, young people, and services across education, health and social care will work together to consider the outcomes they would like to see and how best to meet them.

When an EHCP ends

An EHCP ends when your child or young person meets their outcomes and moves into work, higher education, or higher-level apprenticeship.

Contact, the charity for families with disabled children, provides guidance on when a local authority can end an EHCP.

More information and advice

Watch 2 short videos about EHCPs by the Council for Disabled Children on YouTube:

• What is an EHCP and who is it for?
• The EHCP and The Person Centred Connection

Kids, a charity that helps children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, provides information on what an EHCP is and how you get one, including an easy read guide.

For more information about what is included in an EHCP:

• read page 161 onwards of the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years on GOV.UK
• find out what an EHC plan contains on the Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) website