Education, health and care (EHC) plans

This page explains in more detail what an education, health, and care (EHC) plan is, when one is issued, some your rights and where you can get more information and help.

The information on this page is taken from the SEND Code of Practice 2015.

It would be helpful to read the following leaflets for further information:

What is an EHC plan?

An EHC Plan is for children and young people (aged 0 to 25) who need more support than is available through the funding available for SEN Support at their nursery, school, or college.

An EHC plan is a legal document that describes your child and young person's (aged 16+):

  • Special educational, health, and social care needs
  • Provisions (extra or different types of help) they will need to meet these needs

The hope is that an EHC plan will provide your child or young person with outcomes (steps) needed to reach their aspirations (goals in life).

The focus is very much on what is important for your child or young person and what they want to achieve now and in the future.

The local authority (LA) is responsible for making sure that all the needs set out in the EHC plan are met and provision is made for.

  • Why is an EHC plan written/issued?
  • Writing the EHC plan
  • Reviewing an EHC plan
  • How long does the EHC plan last and when can it stop?
  • Key Principles and Requirements when writing the EHC plan
  • What information should and must be in an EHC plan?

The sections in an EHC plan

An EHC plan must have the following sections:

Section A

Section A focused on the views, interests and aspirations of your child or young person. This should be written by you and your child or young person. Your child or young person and you can ask for support to write this section.

Please see the link below for an example of the WIASS templates for completing Section A. There is a separate template for you and one for your child or young person.

Section B

Section B focuses on the special educational needs (SEN) of your child or young person. This will have all the information on your child’s or young person’s special educational needs collected during the EHC needs assessment. These must be specific.

For example:

  • Sam finds it difficult to spell c-v-c words, ( for example, cat, dog), independently
  • Lia finds it difficult to organise herself, arrives to all her classes late and it takes her a long time to settle, therefore missing the start of her lesson
  • Jay’s expressive (speaking) and receptive (understanding) language skills are delayed by two years therefore he finds it difficult to give his views during all small group and whole class discussions about any topic

Find out more information on getting extra support for children and young people in an education setting.

Section C

Section C focuses on the health needs related to your child’s or young person’s SEN. This will have all the information on your child’s or young person’s heath needs obtained during the EHC needs assessment. These must be specific.

For example:

  • Sam has a hearing loss that is moderate in both ears at mid to low frequencies and profound in both ears at high frequencies
  • Jo experiences seizures related to her epilepsy at least once a week. Early signs of when this is going to happen include mild jerking of her legs, feelings of numbness or headaches. Following a seizure, she may appear confused and not remember what she learnt prior to the start of the seizure

Section D

Section D focuses on the social care needs related to your child’s or young person’s SEN. This will have all the information on your child’s or young person’s social care needs obtained during the EHC needs assessment. These must be specific.

For example:

  • Lia finds it difficult to take part in social activities outside of school too (for example, taking part in clubs and making friends) because she finds it difficult to understand social cues. This results in her being socially isolated outside of school life
  • Adam is 18 years old and at the early stage of developing his independence skills, for example, he does not know how to use public transport on his own and how to manage his money

Section E

Section E focuses on the outcomes - how the extra or different types of help will benefit your child or young person. These must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time bound).

For example:

  • By the end of Key Stage three Lia will arrive on time for all her lessons

Section F

Section F focuses on special educational provision (support) for your child or young person. This must contain all the provision for each SEN in Section B.

For example: Sam will need daily phonic sessions for 15minutes, to practice building up a bank of c-v-c words i.e., dog, cat, bat with a teaching assistant trained in the school’s phonics scheme.

Section G

Section G focuses on health provision within the EHC plan. This section will provide support for each health need in Section C.

For example:

  • Sam will have his hearing loss and aid monitored every three months by the audiology service. The hearing loss & aid review appointments will include:
    • Hearing tests
    • Test for middle ear infection
    • Checks to ensure the hearing aids are fitted and working

Section H1

Section H1 focuses on social care provision for your child or young person. Any social care provision which must be made for your child in accordance with section 2 of the ‘Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970’.

For example:

  • Jay will have a place reserved at a local specialist holiday scheme for children with ASD. He will attend up to 6 sessions during each school holidays. This will be funded by the Children’s Social Care team

Section H2

Section H2 focuses on any other social care provision reasonably required to help with the developmental and/or learning difficulty/ disability which have resulted in your child having SEN. This will include any adult social care provision being provided to meet a young person’s eligible needs under the Care Act 2014 (through a statutory care and support plan). Social care provision could include support for independent living.

For example:

  • Adam will identify two community activities per week that he wants to take part in outside of college. The adult social care team will fund a support worker for 5 hours per week to support him use public transport to travel to these activities and budget for his lunch.

Useful information: Health or social care provision made wholly or mainly for the purposes of education or training must be treated as special educational provision.

For example, it has been established that since communication is a necessary skill to enable learning, speech and language therapy is generally considered as education provision and put in Section F.

Section I

Section I focuses on the placement type and name of education setting (nursery, school, college, or training provider) this is only added in when the Final EHC plan is issued.

Section J

Section J focuses on Personal Budget Arrangements (See the heading Personal Budgets for more information on this).

Section K

Section K focuses on advice and information. A list of all the advice and information (reports from all the professionals and yours, your child, or young person’s views) gathered during the EHC needs assessment will be included in this section.

Why is an EHC Plan written or issued?

An EHC Plan can only be issued after an EHC needs assessment (EHC NA) is carried out by the local authority (LA). This means the local authority has decided after looking through all the information and advice collected during the EHC needs assessment, that your child or young person needs special educational provision to be made through an EHC Plan.

Find out more information about EHC needs assessment.

Useful Information: An EHC Plan can include health or social care needs however your child or young person will not get a plan if they only have these needs and they do not impact their education: for example, taking part in lessons and/or the full school day (lunch time, play/break times and assemblies).

An EHC Plan can be issued if your child or young person is between the ages of 0 and 25 years and they are attending an education or training setting. However this does not include a university setting, instead your young person can check to see if they are eligible for a Disabled Students Allowance, to support them at university. Find out if you are eligible for help with a learning difficulty, health problem or disability (GOV.UK).

Writing the EHC plan

The local authority writes and issues an EHC plan. All the information in the plan is taken from all the information and advice (professional reports, your child’s or young person’s, and your views) collected during the EHC needs assessment.

Reviewing an EHC plan

Once a final EHC plan is in place, it will be reviewed at least every year (twelve months) and for children under five, these should be held between three to six months.

The purpose of an annual review is to:

  • Review your child’s or young person’s progress towards the outcomes written in their EHC plan
  • Make sure that the EHC plan is up to date (all the information in the plan is correct)
  • Help them to meet their outcomes

Find out more information about annual reviews of EHC plans.

How long does the EHC plan last and when can it stop?

The EHC plan can remain in place until your child or young person leaves their education/training setting, or the local authority decides that your child or young person no longer needs the EHC plan to provide them with the support in their education or training setting.

An EHC plan can also stop when:

  • They go to university (studying a HE courses, i.e. a degree)
  • They get a job
  • They no longer want the EHC plan (if they are 16 or over)

Moving to a new local authority (Transfer of an EHC plan):

If you move to another local authority, the plan will be transferred to this local authority and reviewed.

There are steps that the old and new local authority must follow to make this happen.

For more information about transfer of an EHC plan, please read SEND Code of Practice 2015 paragraphs 9.157 to 9.162, pages 192 to 193.

Key principles and requirements when writing the EHC plan

When writing an EHC plan you should remember:

  • Decisions about the content of EHC plans should be made openly and together with you and your child or young person
  • The EHC plan should be clear on how your child or young person has given their views, wishes and feelings for the plan and how these are included in the EHC plan
  • The EHC plan should describe positively what your child or young person can do and has achieved (In Wandsworth this part of the EHC plan is called “Strengths.”)
  • The EHC plan should be clear, short, understandable to you, your child or young person, education/training setting, staff, and professionals.
  • In preparing the EHC plan the local authority must consider how best to achieve the outcomes sought for your child or young person, with the evidence received as part of the EHC needs assessment
  • EHC plans must specify the outcomes sought for your child or young person.
  • Outcomes in EHC plans should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound).
  • Where your child, young person or you are seeking an innovative or alternative way to receive their support – particularly through a Personal Budget, but not exclusively so – then the planning process should include the consideration of those solutions with support and advice available to assist you and your child or young person in deciding how best to receive the support.
  • EHC plans should show how education, health and care provision will be co-ordinated wherever possible to support your child or young person to achieve their outcomes. The plan should also show how the different types of provision contribute to specific outcomes.
  • EHC plans should be forward looking – for example, anticipating, planning, and commissioning for important transition points in your child’s or young person’s life, including planning and preparing for their transition to adult life

What information should and must be in an EHC plan?

There is currently no national standard format for an EHC plan. However, legally it must have twelve sections (parts) that are clearly labelled.

It can be helpful to understand that there are three sections on needs (i.e. your child’s or young person’s difficulties) that are matched by a provision (the help/ support your child or young person will get) to meet those needs. For example:

  • ‘Section B: Special educational needs’ are met by ‘Section F: special educational provision(help/support)’
  • ‘Section C: Health care needs’ are met by ‘Section G: health care provision’
  • ‘Section D: Social care needs’ are met by ‘Section H: social care provision’

The sections that must be in an EHC plan

The following sections must be included in an EHC plan:

  • Section A: The views, interests and aspirations of your child, young person, and you
  • Section B: Special educational needs (SEN)
  • Section C: Health needs related to SEN
  • Section D: Social care needs related to SEN
  • Section E: Outcomes - how the extra help will benefit your child. These must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound)
  • Section F: Special educational provision (support)
  • Section G: Health provision
  • Section H: Social care provision
  • Section I: Placement
  • Section J: Personal Budget Arrangements
  • Section K: Advice and information

When you receive an EHC plan

When you receive the draft EHC plan it must include copies of all the advice and information (reports) collected during the EHC needs assessment. The draft EHC Plan is usually issued by week fourteen of when the initial EHC needs assessment Request was received however this is not a legal timescale.

A draft EHC plan can only be issued after an EHC needs assessment or if your child or young person already has an EHC plan which has been updated after an Annual Review of the EHC Plan or for another reason. In this instance it will be called a ‘Proposed Amended EHC Plan’

Find out more information about annual reviews of EHC plans.

What to do when you receive a draft EHC plan

This is an opportunity for you to check whether the draft EHC plan contains everything it should and must.

You must receive a draft EHC plan with a letter that informs you, you have fifteen calendar days to:

  • Make comments (representations) – about what is written in draft EHC plan (including requesting any amendments (changes) you want made
  • Request a meeting with the local authority (usually your child’s or young person’s EHC co-ordinator in the SEN team) to discuss the draft
  • Request that an education or training setting is named in the final EHC plan

A draft EHC plan cannot include the name of a nursery, school, college or other educational setting, or what type of placement (mainstream or special school) your child or young person should attend. This is because only you or your young person have the right to say which education setting you would prefer to be named in the EHC plan.

Once the local authority receives your comments (representations) on the draft EHC plan, they will look at any amendments (changes) that you may ask for and will consult with the education/ training setting you have requested (provided it’s on the government approved list of schools and institutions).

If the local authority agrees to make amendments, they must re-issue a draft plan and give you a further fifteen calendar days to comment before the twenty weeks deadline - when you must receive the final EHC plan.

The education/training setting that will be consulted must respond to the consultation within fifteen calendar days too.

Useful information: When a draft EHC plan is issued, this does not mean that your child or young person, will have to leave their current education setting. Most children or young people remain at their education/training setting, unless you ask for the local authority to consult with another education setting and the LA agrees to name it on the final EHC plan.

Please see below for a summary of the law which explains which education setting you can request to be named in your child’s EHC plan.

The Law

The Law assumes all children and young people will be educated in a mainstream setting unless you or your young person wants to attend a SEN education setting (special school/college), or the LA decides that it would not be reasonable for them to be educated in a mainstream setting.

You have the right to request the following types of education settings to be named in your child’s or young person’s EHC Plan:

  • A Maintained school or nursery (mainstream or special school). These are schools that are funded by a LA
  • An Academy or free school (mainstream or special). These are schools that are funded by the Secretary of State (Government)
  • Further education (FE) or sixth form college
  • A Non-maintained special school. These are charitable foundations and “not for profit” schools
  • A Section 41 school or college. These are independent schools or specialist colleges that have been approved by the Secretary of State (Government)

The local authority must consult the above education settings if you ask them to and name one of the above settings -unless it the local authority can prove one of the following:

  • It would be unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or SEN of the child or young person, or
  • The attendance of the child or young person there, would be incompatible with the efficient
    • education of others, or
    • use of resources (usually this means money)

Useful information: You can ask the local authority to consider (this is not a right) a request for an independent school or college that is not a non-maintained or Section 41. If you request the local authority to consult an independent school, please ensure you have first confirmed offer of a place from this school/college.

Find out more information about finding a school if your child has SEN and an EHC plan.

Personal budgets

When a draft EHC plan is issued, then you or your young person have a right to request a Personal Budget. Personal Budgets are an amount of money identified by the local authority to deliver the provision in the EHC plan. Personal budgets are optional so you do not have to have one, but if you do request one, the local authority must consider your request.

Details of the proposed personal budget (if requested and agreed by the local authority) should be included in Section J of the draft plan. The local authority does not have to agree to a request for a Personal Budget. If they refuse, they must set out their reasons in writing and give you the right to request a formal review of their decision.

For more information about personal budgets please read the SEND Code of Practice 2015 from paragraphs 9.95 to 9.124 on pages 178 to 184.

Finalising the EHC plan

If you make any requests for changes to your child’s or young person’s draft plan and these are agreed by the local authority, the final plan should be sent to you as quickly as possible. However, the final EHC plan must be issued and received by you within twenty weeks of when the local authority received (logged) the request for an EHC needs assessment.

The final plan can only differ from the draft plan because of your request for changes, including a request for a personal budget and adding the name of the educational/ training setting. When a final EHC plan is issued, you or your young person has a right of appeal to the SEND tribunal (SENDIST) if you do not agree with the following:

  • Description of your child’s or young person’s special educational needs (Section B) and/or
  • Special educational provision (Section F) specified in the EHC plan; and/or
  • Name/type of education setting/training in the EHC plan or the fact that no education setting/training is named
  • You can also appeal sections C, D, G and H of the EHC plan that deal with health and social care if you are appealing Section B, F and/or I too

Find out more information about challenging decisions and appealing.

You have two months from the date you received the letter accompanying the final EHC plan to lodge your appeal if you decide to.

To read up on, how Wandsworth issues a draft/proposed amended EHC plan for children/young people in Wandsworth and Out of Brough schools, please read Section 5, paragraphs 5.27 onwards and Section 6, paragraphs, 6.7 onwards in the Wandsworth (SEND Handbook).

Funding for an EHC plan

If your child or young person attends a mainstream school or college - some of the funding comes from the school’s or college’s budget. The local authority usually tops this up from the ‘high needs block’ (this is money the local authority releases when an EHC plan is issued). Special schools already have a set amount of funding for pupils already. This can also be topped up from the LA’s “high needs block” if needed.

For more information about schools and colleges and their funding, please read the following paragraphs in the ‘SEND Code of Practice 2015’:

  • School’s funding: Paragraphs 6.95-6.99
  • College (further education) funding: 7.28-7.34

Children and young people in youth custody

If your child or young person is in youth custody and it seems like that they might need support from an EHC plan on their release, an EHC needs assessment can be started while they are in custody. If your child or young person has an EHC plan before they go into custody or/and EHC plan is completed while they are in custody, then the local authority must arrange appropriate special educational provision (Section F) and, if the plan specifies health care provision, this must be arranged too. The local authority must not cease (end) an EHC plan if your child or young person enters custody. They must keep it while they are detained and maintain and review it when they are released.

For more information about children and young people in youth custody please read: The ‘SEND Code of Practice 2015’: Paragraphs 10.66 to 10.88, pages 222-243.

Looking through the draft/proposed amended EHC plan

This section explains one way of checking a draft EHC plan and how to provide your representations (comments/views) on the content to your child’s or young person’s EHC co-ordinator in the SEN team-Special Needs Assessment Section (SNAS) in Wandsworth.

Why is it important to check through a draft/proposed amended EHC plan?

One of the key principles the local authority must follow when writing an EHC plan, is that it should be clear, short, understandable to you, your child or young person, education/training staff and professionals. Therefore, at this stage you are making sure that the EHC plan contains all the necessary information about your child or young person, including their needs and the support they require to meet their aspirations, by checking the following:

  • Is everything in the right section?
  • Has anything been left out and/or is incorrect?
  • Is everything written about your child or young person clear for example, if someone who has never met them, read their plan, would know what their aspirations and needs are, and the support they require for each need to meet their outcomes?

Useful information: You have fifteen calendar days from when you receive the draft or proposed (this could be issued following an annual review of an EHC plan) EHC plan, to look through it and comment on it.

Before you start to read through the EHC plan:

  • Check that you have received with the draft/proposed amended EHC plan – all the advice and information (usually written as reports) collected from all the professionals during the EHC NA/Annual Review process
    • Section K of the draft EHC plan must list all the advice and information reports obtained for EHC needs assessment or during the annual review of an EHC plan
    • If copies of the advice and information is missing, please make a note of this because you will have to ask your child’s or young person’s EHC Co-ordinator to send these to you straight away
  • Make a photocopy of the draft/proposed EHC plan and or ask your child’s or young person’s EHC Needs Coordinator to email to you an electronic word copy for you to add your notes on
  • Have three different colour pens (felt tips/highlighters)or for an electronic copy, use the “Text Highlight Colour” key

What to look for when looking through the draft/proposed amended EHC plan

When looking through the draft/proposed amended EHC plan, you should:

  • Read through the draft/proposed amended EHC plan and circle/or underline and make a note of anything you think is - In the wrong section - Incorrect and/or - Not clear or contradicts another part of the EHC plan
  • Take the two pens (felts tips/highlighters) and decide which colour you will use to highlight the ‘Needs’ sections and the other to highlight the ‘Provision (help/support)’ sections in the advice and information reports you have received and listed in Section K
  • Go through each advice and information report at a time, usually it is a good idea to start with the nursery/ school/college report, followed by the educational psychologist’s then the specialist professionals’ reports, i.e. speech and language/occupational therapists, CAMHS, Literacy Support service etc
  • Check that all the identified SEN you highlighted in the advice and information reports are written in Section B of the plan. (Circle any needs that are not included from the advice and information reports in Section B)
  • Check that all the SEN Provision (sometimes these are written as Recommendations in some reports) you highlighted from the above advice and information reports are included in Section F of the plan (Circle any provision/s that are not included from the advice and information reports in Section F)
  • Check that each identified SEN (Section B) has a corresponding ‘provision’ in Section F in the EHC plan. Section F must contain anything which ‘educates’ or ‘trains’ your child or young person, for example, this will usually include occupational or speech and language therapies
  • Repeat the above steps for any health needs in - Section C and social care needs in Section D Followed by ‘health provision’ in Section G and ‘social care provision’ included in the relevant in Section H (H1 and/or H2) of the EHC plan
  • Check that every need (health and social) identified has a corresponding provision. If you cannot see this on the EHC plan, then go back and check the provision in the advice and information reports to see if they are in these-if yes put a tick next to it

Useful information: If your child’s is in year 9 onwards, check that there are needs and provision to support their preparation for adulthood and independent living in the EHC plan.

Is the EHC plan clear?

Description of your child or young person’s needs and support needed (provision): Specification and quantification.

Without specification and quantification, a final EHC plan can be open to interpretation by the reader.

Check that the wording is specific and quantified (where appropriate):

Specification: (Sections from B to D), See below for an example of specific wording.

Section B - SEN:

“Sam has problems with his spelling” -this is not specific, because we do not know if it is all spellings or types spelling patterns.

“Sam has problems following instructions” -this is not specific because we do not know whether it’s all types of instructions?

Instead the following wording is specific:

“Sam has difficulties spelling, c-v-c words, for example, cat, dog independently.”

“Sam is unable to follow two step instructions, for example, take off your coat and hang it on your coat peg.”

Specification & Quantification What, where when and how often(Sections F-H)

Section F:

“Sam will need phonic sessions during the week” - this is not specific or quantified because we do not how many times and the type of phonic activities?

Instead the following wording is specific and quantified:

“Sam will need 15 minutes of phonics sessions daily, to practice building up a bank of c-v-c words i.e., dog, cat, bat, with a teaching assistant trained in the school’s phonics scheme.”

Useful information: Words like ‘access to’, ‘opportunities for’, ‘regular’ are not specific or quantifiable words. If these are in the plan - check the advice and information reports to see if there is clarification on how often (daily, weekly etc) and duration (15 minutes, hour etc) if not make a note of this

How to make your representations to the EHC co-ordinator

You can add your representations (give views/comments) directly on to the draft/proposed amended EHC plan or write a letter/email -please see examples of this below: If you are posting your representations, please leave enough time to ensure that your views reach the EHC Co-ordinator within the fifteen calendar days.

Useful information: If you want changes made to the draft/proposed amended EHC plan, it is important that you refer to evidence from the reports from Section K or additional advice and information you have obtained to show why this change should be made.

For example:

Sending your representations to the EHC co-ordinator

Please see below, for an example of a template letter/email you can use to give your views on the draft/amended EHC plan.

Dear [Inset EHC co-ordinator name here),

[Insert your child’s or young person’s name and date of birth here]:

My views on draft EHC plan I am writing/emailing as the parent of [your child’s or young person’s name here] and would like the attached/enclosed following changes/additions made to their draft/proposed amended EHC plan I/we received on the [inset date here].

I/we would also like to meet/or discuss over the phone our representations and are available on the following dates and times (please delete if you do not require this)

Finally, the [nursery/school/college] we wish to be named on the EHC plan when it is finalised is [name of nursey/school/college]. Please do get in touch if you have any questions

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

Next steps

Email/post your representations to the EHC plan co-ordinator (please ensure they receive them by the fifteenth calendar day from when you received them).

If you are posting your views it would be helpful to do this by recorded delivery and please keep the receipt.

If information has not been specified and/or quantified in the EHC plan it will be the EHC co-ordinator’s role to clarify this with the relevant professionals. However, you can go directly to the professionals and ask them to provide this information, to try and save time.

The EHC co-ordinator will consider your representations and should make the changes where you have referred to the advice and information report it came from. They must send you a copy of the amended version and give you a further fifteen calendar days to comment on the changes.

The EHC co-ordinator will consult with education setting/s and issue the final EHCP hopefully naming the, nursery, school, college or training setting you have requested from twenty weeks of the date the local authority received the request for an EHC needs assessment.

Leaflets and templates

You can download our leaflets and templates:

Where can I get more information, advice, or support about EHC plans?

If you have questions about an EHC plan, you can: