What Is an EHCP? The Complete UK Guide for Parents and Professionals

Introduction

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document in England for a child or young person aged up to 25 who needs more support than is normally available through SEN support. It describes the child or young person's special educational needs, the outcomes they are working towards and the education, health and social care provision required to support those outcomes.

EHCPs are intended to bring education, health and care information together around the individual rather than treating each service separately. For families and professionals, the plan should provide a clear picture of need, intended outcomes and the support that should be delivered.

Who can have an EHCP?

An EHCP may be issued where, following an education, health and care needs assessment, the local authority considers it necessary for special educational provision to be made through an EHCP. The process is not simply a diagnosis-based entitlement. The question is whether the child's or young person's special educational needs require provision through a plan.

A child does not normally need to have exhausted every possible intervention before an assessment can be considered. Schools, early years settings, parents, young people and other professionals can be involved in identifying needs and seeking assessment.

What does an EHCP contain?

An EHCP brings together information about the child or young person and the support required. The statutory plan is structured around sections A to K. These cover the views and aspirations of the child or young person and family, special educational needs, health needs, social care needs, outcomes, provision, placement and supporting information.

The important point is that an EHCP should not simply describe a child's difficulties. It should connect needs to outcomes and then connect outcomes to specific provision.

The EHCP process

A typical process starts with concerns about a child's needs and support, followed where appropriate by a request for an EHC needs assessment. The local authority considers whether an assessment is necessary. If an assessment is carried out, the authority gathers advice from relevant people and decides whether an EHCP is required.

Where an EHCP is issued, a draft plan is normally prepared before the final plan. Parents or the young person have opportunities to comment and express preferences about the educational setting. The final EHCP then sets out the provision and placement.

How long does an EHCP take?

For a new EHC needs assessment in England, the statutory process is generally intended to take no more than 20 weeks from the request for an assessment to the final EHCP, subject to specific exceptions. Delays can occur where circumstances fall within the exceptions or where information is not available within the normal timetable.

Because timelines matter, good case management is important. Teams need visibility of requests, assessments, advice, draft plans, consultations, decisions and deadlines rather than relying on disconnected spreadsheets, inboxes and documents.

What happens after an EHCP is issued?

An EHCP is not a document that should simply sit in a file. The provision described in the plan needs to be delivered and the plan reviewed. An annual review is normally required at least once every 12 months, with additional review arrangements in certain circumstances.

The review should consider progress towards outcomes, whether the plan remains appropriate and whether changes are needed. This creates an ongoing cycle of evidence, review, decision-making and, where appropriate, amendment.

EHCPs and the 2026 SEND reforms

The government published proposals for major SEND reform in February 2026. These proposals include changes to the wider system of support and proposals around specialist provision and EHCPs. However, proposals and consultation documents are not the same as changes to current law.

For that reason, professionals should distinguish between what is legally required now and what may change as reforms are developed and implemented.

Conclusion

A well-managed EHCP process should give families clarity, professionals useful information and children and young people a coherent plan for support. For local authorities and SEND teams, achieving that consistently requires strong processes, reliable information and effective case management.

How DraftPro can help

DraftPro is an AI-powered SEN and EHCP platform designed to reduce repetitive administration, streamline case management and give SEND teams more time to focus on children, young people and families. Contact us today to find out how DraftPro could support your team.