If you or your child requires an EHCP, it can be difficult to know what to expect and what should be included. In this detailed guide, we take a look at the content of an EHCP, who is responsible for it, and how to ensure the plan is completed correctly.
If you or your child require an education, health and care plan, it can be daunting to understand the scope and intent of the plan, and to understand what should or should not be included. The content of the plan, and the recommendations that are drawn as a result, can have a significant impact on your or your child’s education, so it is important to be aware of what the process entails and what to look out for.
Who creates the EHCP?
Your local authority is responsible for the creation of your child’s EHCP, as well as ensuring that the content is correct, appropriate and allows for recommendations to be made that will allow your child to achieve their outcomes.
To do this, insight will need to be gathered for multiple sources, including your child’s current education setting, healthcare professionals, and educational psychologists, as well as you and your child.
Once the content for the EHCP has been collected, you and your family should receive a copy of the plan. You should take the time to ensure that you are happy with the information contained within the plan and that it accurately reflects the difficulties your child faces. If you feel there is anything missing, there is time to raise a dispute to have it corrected, though you should try and do this sooner rather than later.
Will I need to provide any of the content for my child’s EHCP?
Yes. As their parent, you will need to provide information to your local authority and other experts asked to contribute to the EHCP to ensure no relevant detail of your child’s care or educational needs is overlooked. There are some sections that will require more contribution than others; for example, Section A deals with the views, interests and aspirations of the child and their parents.
Gurvinder Samra at Slater & Gordon has a brilliant way of asking specific questions that force local authorities to fulfil their statutory duties. After a complex two year battle, our LA agreed to fund the only appropriate provision for our child and this was expedited and seen over the line by Guv, saving our family from tribunals and further detrimental and unfair delays. She took the time to quickly understand the case and her interactions with our LA were respectful, clear and resolution driven.
5* Client review for Gurvinder Samra
We cannot thank Gurvinder Samra enough for her help securing a fantastic residential college placement for my 21-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy and complex needs. Before her involvement, we were struggling to get the care and resources we desperately needed, and felt lost in the process. Gurvinder navigated the complex legalities with professionalism and compassion, and truly listened and understood the needs of our family. A true advocate, she worked tirelessly and has definitely changed our lives beyond our wildest dreams.
5* Client review for Gurvinder Samra
Section A: views, interests and aspirations of the child and their parents
This section of the EHCP should be written by you and your family and should discuss in detail your thoughts and aspirations (what you hope to achieve with the EHCP). Try to make this section quite personal and bring your child’s character to life; remember, those reading and deciding on the EHCP will never have met them before. Including photographs of your child with their family or engaging in a hobby can be a good way to do this.
Note that your local authority cannot refuse to include details or make amendments to this section.
Section B: child’s SEN
This section must detail all the child’s special educational needs, in sufficient detail so that anybody reading it will have an understanding and awareness of their needs.
It’s important to include details of any difficulties your child experiences with independence or life skills, where appropriate. For example, if a child is not yet toilet trained or a young person has no awareness of money, you should include references to that (so that corresponding provision will be included in Section F).
Section C: child’s healthcare needs which relate to their SEN
Section D: child’s social care needs which relate to their SEN
Section E: the outcomes sought for the child
This section serves the purpose of the EHCP, by detailing the outcomes that you and your child, as well as other experts, hope to achieve the outcomes. Outcomes must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound), and should be long-term and aspirational, focusing on preparing for adulthood (from year 9). You shouldn’t be aiming to complete all goals and outcomes within your child’s current academic year or key stage.
Section F: the SEN provision required by the child
This section must specify and quantify all special educational provision to meet the child’s special educational needs, as written in Section B.
All required provision must be clearly detailed and laid out to ensure it is legally enforceable. If therapy provision is included then it must say how long the therapy is for in hours per week or fortnight, whether it is direct or indirect, who will be devising and delivering the therapy, whether that person requires any particular skills, expertise or qualifications, and what it is working towards.
Section G: any health care provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in the child having SEN
Section H1: any social care provision which must be made for the child under s. 2 of the CSDPA 1970
Section H2: any other social care provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in the child having SEN
Section I: name of school and/or type of school or institution
In a final EHCP this section includes the name and type of placement, but it is also acceptable for the final EHCP to only name the type of placement. This section is left blank in a draft EHCP.
Section J: where provision to be secured by direct payment, the SEN and outcomes to be met by the direct payment; and
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Gurvinder Samra at Slater & Gordon has a brilliant way of asking specific questions that force local authorities to fulfil their statutory duties. After a complex two year battle, our LA agreed to fund the only appropriate provision for our child and this was expedited and seen over the line by Guv, saving our family from tribunals and further detrimental and unfair delays. She took the time to quickly understand the case and her interactions with our LA were respectful, clear and resolution driven. 5* Client review for Gurvinder Samra
We cannot thank Gurvinder Samra enough for her help securing a fantastic residential college placement for my 21-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy and complex needs. Before her involvement, we were struggling to get the care and resources we desperately needed, and felt lost in the process. Gurvinder navigated the complex legalities with professionalism and compassion, and truly listened and understood the needs of our family. A true advocate, she worked tirelessly and has definitely changed our lives beyond our wildest dreams. 5* Client review for Gurvinder Samra