About EHCPs
Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) can help some children and young people.
The EHCP covers children from birth up to the age of 25.
Most children and young people will have their needs met without one, and will be able to access lots of support without an EHCP.
What an EHCP is for
The purpose of an education, health and care (EHC) plan is to:
- make special educational provision to meet the special educational needs of the child or young person
- secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care
- prepare them for adulthood as they get older.
To achieve this, we use information from an EHC assessment to:
- find out and record the views, interests and aspirations of the parents and child or young person
- provide a full description of the child or young person’s special educational needs and any health and social care needs
- agree outcomes across education, health and social care based on the child or young person’s needs, hopes and aspirations
- specify what provision is needed and how education, health and care services will work together to meet the child or young person’s needs and help them reach the agreed outcomes.
Families with an EHCP will be able to request a personal budget to buy services they need.
An EHCP must have an Annual Review to make sure that a child's or younger person's needs are being met.
Parents, children and young people must be involved in the assessment and planning stages, as well as the Annual Review.
For an idea on what an EHCP looks like download an EHCP template for children and young people or an EHCP template for young people post 16.
Young people aged 19 to 25 with an EHCP
Young people who are aged between 19 and 25 years old may be entitled to an education, health and care plan (EHCP).
Find out if you would be entitled to a EHCP.
Students aged 19 to 25 with EHCPs who are continuing in education may have the options of:
If you have an EHCP but do not continue in education, training or you get a job, your EHCP will stop.