If your child has special educational needs (SEN), their school or teacher may talk to you about putting in place an Education, Health and Care plan which is also known as an EHCP or an EHC plan.
To explain further, we spoke to Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) Lisa Frankham.
Lisa Frankham (SENCO): Hello, my name is Lisa Frankham and I am a SENCO.
VO: WHAT IS AN EHC PLAN?
Lisa Frankham (SENCO): An Educational, health and care plan also known as an EHCP and sometimes an EHC Plan. An EHCP is a plan that’s put in place to provide additional support to young people with special educational needs when their educational setting feels they don’t have the resources required to best support them. An EHCP can stay in place until a young person reaches the age of 25.
VO: HOW DO I GET AN EHCP FOR MY CHILD?
Lisa Frankham (SENCO): Before an EHCP is provided for a child or young person, a Needs Assessment must be requested. To get a Needs Assessment you need to apply to your Local Education Authority, also known as an LEA. You can apply directly to your LEA or you can contact your school SENCO who can apply on your behalf. Once a request is submitted to the local authority, they will review the information and decide whether to proceed with that. If they decide to proceed, they will then gather information by speaking to your child, yourself, and other professionals who know your child really well such as their teachers, the SENCO, or social workers. This will help them make a decision about whether to issue an EHCP.
The whole process can be quite lengthy and it can take months rather than weeks, but your local authority should be able to give you a better idea of how long that might be.
VO: WHAT IF MY CHILD CAN’T GET AN EHC PLAN?
Lisa Frankham (SENCO): In some cases, the LEA may decide not to offer an EHCP. The first thing that you should do, is to ask for a written response, just to help you to understand the reasoning behind that decision. Then there is an appeals process if you wish to proceed with that, which ultimately may mean you attend an SEND tribunal known as a ‘first-tier tribunal’.Alternatively, you may decide to approach other organisations that may be able to help support your child. There are some really amazing charities out there, so investigate some of those.
What is an EHC plan?
An EHC plan can be put in place to support the young person with special educational needs (SEN) if their educational setting feels they don’t have the resources best required to support them. The EHC plan will identify your child’s particular needs, and set out what additional support should be put in place to meet those needs. An EHC plan can stay in place until the young person reaches the age of 25 if they remain in education to that age.
In other parts of the UK there are other names for this plan:
- In Wales it’s called an Individual Development Plan (IDP).
- In Northern Ireland the equivalent plan is a Statement of Special Educational Needs.
- In Scotland it’s known as a Coordinated Support Plan (CSP).
How do I get an EHC plan for my child?
Before an EHCP is provided to a child or young person, you need to apply to your local education authority (LEA) to request a needs assessment. You can apply directly to your LEA, or your child’s doctor/health visitor or a school SENCO can apply on your behalf.
Once a request is submitted to your LEA they’ll review the information and decide whether to proceed with an EHCP. If they decide to carry out an assessment, they’ll gather information by speaking to you, your child, and other professionals who know your child well, such as their teachers, SENCO and social workers. They may also ask you for supporting documents like school or nursery reports, and a doctor’s assessment. This information will help them to make a decision about whether or not to issue an EHCP.
What happens next?
According to gov.uk, "your local authority should tell you within 16 weeks" whether an EHCP is going to be made for your child, and the local authority has “20 weeks from the date they receive the request for the assessment” to send you the final EHC plan.
If the EHCP is approved:
- You’ll receive a draft copy of the EHC plan from your local authority.
- You’ll then have at least 15 days to comment, including if you want to request that your child attends a special needs school or specialist college.
What if my child can’t get an EHC plan?
In some cases the local authority may decide not to carry out an assessment and/or create an EHCP. If this happens you can:
- Ask for a written response from the local authority, to help you understand the reasoning behind the decision.
- Write an appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal, also known as the ‘first-tier tribunal’.
- Research and approach other organisations and charities who may be able to help support your child.
The process to get an EHCP for your child can be lengthy and overwhelming. Parents say they feel they lack proper support and many councils are struggling with backlogs of EHCPs and face issues funding SEND provision whilst facing growing demand.
Watch our film for guidance on what to do while waiting to access Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
The BBC has more information in this mental wellbeing collection as well as links to useful organisations on the BBC Action Line.
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