Education, health and care plan (EHC)
What is an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC plan)?
The EHC plan is intended for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN).
The EHC plan puts children, young people and their families at the very centre of the process to make sure that their views are not only heard but also understood. The planning process uses outcomes focussed planning which helps families feel more in control.
EHC plans are developed using coordinated assessments from all the services involved with the child or young person. The plan focusses on outcomes and must say how services will work together to meet the needs of the child or young person.
The overall purpose of the 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.
A statutory assessment for an EHC plan should not be the first step in the process for helping to meet the needs of a child or young person but should be built on coordinated work that is already happening between families, educational settings and any other health or social care services involved.
Young people and families have helped to design the EHC plan that we are using. The feedback we have received from them so far is that they feel more listened to and more involved in the decision making for their child in ways that make sense to them.
How to apply for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment
An EHC needs assessment is available for children and young people aged 0-25 years.
The majority of children and young people with special educational needs can be provided for from the resources normally available in their educational setting and community. The Local Offer will ensure that families and practitioners can find out what is available and help everyone to make the most of services offered in schools and in the community.
You can yisit our local offer website for more information:
Families and young people (aged 16+) have the right to apply for an EHC needs assessment independently. Schools, colleges and other educational settings can also make a request but they can only do this with the knowledge and consent of the parent or young person.
The form to complete to make a request is available on SIMS or you can download directly from below:
The EHC needs assessment ‘at a glance’ guide provides details about how the assessment works. When it is agreed that an assessment will go ahead, the educational setting will be asked for advice and you will be asked to complete the form below.
If, following the EHC Needs Assessment an EHC Plan is agreed, it will be reviewed every year. It will stay in place until it is no longer required, in circumstances such as a young person moving on to higher education or seeking employment, or having reached their outcomes and the special educational provision is no longer required. The EHC Plan can remain in place until the age of 25 so long as the young person remains in education or training.
When an EHC needs assessment is agreed, the family will be assigned an SEN Officer to guide them through the process. If an EHC plan is agreed, the family will continue to have a named SEN Officer for the duration that the plan exists.
For most families, working with their SEN Officer will be enough but some families may request extra support to ensure that their voice and their wishes are heard.
The SEND information advice support services (SENDIASS) is an impartial information, advice and support service funded by Hertfordshire County Council for parents, carers, young people (0-25) and professionals. They offer a personalised confidential service to help you understand how special educational needs are assessed and managed, so that you can make informed educational choices. The contact telephone number for SEND IASS is 01992 555847 or you can email the service: sendiass@hertfordshire.gov.uk
There is documentation to use when reviewing the EHC plan. We have provided some guidance on what happens during the annual review of an EHC plan and some tips for schools.
A personal budget is one of the ways of giving children, young people and their families more choice and control about the way they are being supported. Sometimes the money being spent on services can be freed up and used in different, more creative ways to meet the needs of child or young person.
Who can apply for a personal budget?
If an EHC plan is agreed, the family will have the opportunity to request a personal budget through their SEN Officer. However families may also be eligible for a personal budget if they have social care involvement, if the child or young person is disabled or in receipt of Continuing Healthcare.
What can a personal budget be spent on?
A personal budget could cover a range of things like eligible social care needs, transport to and from school and healthcare services.
A personal budget cannot be used to cover costs of school places, therapeutic services and preventative/early help social care services.
See our leaflet ‘explaining personal budgets’ for more information.
Statutory SEND duty lines
A general enquiries and advice line for schools, parents/carers and professionals for matters relating to the EHCP process for children and young people with SEND.