Education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and plans
Contents
- EHC assessments explained
- Education, health and care plans (EHCP) explained
- How young people, parents and carers can apply for an EHC assessment
- Stay informed: Children and Families Support Gateway
- How schools and education settings can request an EHC needs assessment
- The EHC needs assessment process
- EHC personal budgets
- SEND assessment processing timescales
- Reviewing EHC plans
Education, health and care plans (EHCP) explained
An education, health and care plan (EHCP) is a legal document for children and young people aged 0 to 25.
It outlines:
- their educational, health, and social care needs
- the support they require
- how this support should be provided in school or other settings
An EHCP sets out clearly the parent, child or young person's views and aspirations for the future.
The EHCP:
- includes information and advice from professionals from education, health or social care, who know or are working with the child or young person
- describes the child or young person's special educational needs and their strengths
- states the outcomes that the EHCP will support the child or young person to achieve
- sets out the support to be given to the child to achieve the outcomes written in the EHCP
It is a legal document that the education setting must follow. It is also important that the plan prepares the child or young person for adulthood.
An EHCP can only be issued after an EHC needs assessment has been completed.
Last updated 13 October 2025