Some children with special educational needs (SEN) in England need more help than a mainstream school, college or nursery would normally provide at the level of SEN support. These pupils receive support through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
An EHC plan is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs, explains the extra help that will be given to meet those needs and how that help will support the child or young person to achieve what they want to in their life.
An education, health and care ( EHC ) plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.
EHCP Process – Guidance for Families
Gateshead Council's SEND Team have created a short video to help you understand the process of getting an Education, Health and Care Plan:
Forms and Templates
This section is specifically for practitioners who work with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It contains...
Raise a Concern About an Education, Health and Care Plan
Although we work with parents, carers, young people and schools to prevent disagreements, there may be times when you are unhappy with the...
What happens during needs assessment
If a needs assessment goes ahead, the LA asks the child’s parents/carers and the young person for their views as well as assessments (known as...
How it is decided what level of support a child receives?
The support a child receives is based on their individual needs. In most cases, educational needs that have been identified can be met from the...
What support is available?
The support a child receives is based on their individually assessed needs. If they have an EHC Plan the kind of support you can expect them to...
What does an EHCP look like?
There is no national standard format for the EHC plan. However, it must have certain sections that are clearly labelled.The sections are: A: The...
How support is reviewed?
Annual review meetings are held where your child’s progress will be looked at, plans for the next term/year will be discussed, new aims and targets...
What can I do if I disagree with a decision made by the LA?
If you disagree with the Local Authority’s decision about an EHC Assessment or Plan, there are 3 things you can do: Arrange a meeting with Local...
How long does the plan last?
The plan will remain in place until your child leaves education or the local authority decides that your child no longer needs the plan to help them...
What if a young person with an EHCP is detained in custody?
The document below explains what arrangements are in place in Gateshead to ensure that relevant support is provided to young people with an EHC Plan...
More information
The world of SEN can be confusing but there are lots of people who are trained and experienced who can help you through the assessment process and...
How long does it take?
The LA needs to decide whether a needs assessment will go ahead within six weeks of a referral being received. The decision whether to go ahead with...
Requesting an EHC Plan needs assessment
In most cases, children and young people identified as having complex SEN will be referred for an EHC Plan needs assessment by a relevant...
Who needs an EHCP?
EHC plans are for children and young people whose special educational needs require more help than would normally be provided in a mainstream...
Single Route of Redress Trial
What is the outcome of the National Trial? The National Trial commenced from April 2018 to August 2021 testing the extended powers for the SEND...