What is included in a EHC plan?
Describes the outcomes sought for the child or young person. An outcome can be defined as the benefit or difference made to an individual as a result of an intervention. When agreeing outcomes, it is important to consider both what is important
them as judged by others with your child or young person’s best interests at heart. An outcome should be personal and something that those involved have control and influence over. An outcome should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound (SMART).
• Forward plans for key changes in your child or young person’s life, such as changing schools, moving from children’s to adult care and/or from paediatric services to adult health, or moving on from further education to adulthood.
• If your young person is preparing for the transition to adulthood, the outcomes that will prepare them well for adulthood and are clearly linked to the achievement of the aspirations in section A.
• The plan should specify any appropriate facilities and equipment, staffing arrangements and curriculum modifications. Provision must be detailed and specific and should normally be quantified, for example, in terms of the type, hours and frequency of support and level of expertise.
• Provision must be specified for each and every need specified in section B.
What is included in a EHC plan?
It is possible that the
plan is not clear or specific enough. We asked solicitor Samantha Hale what parents should look out for.
Our experience is that Plans are too brief in the description of the child/young person’s special educational needs (Section B), which has an impact on the provision that is then included to meet the special educational needs (Section F).
You should ensure that it covers aspects relating to the child’s communication and interaction; cognition and learning; behaviour, emotional and social development; sensory and physical needs; and medical condition
Unfortunately, the provision in Section F of EHC plans is often not specific or detailed enough. It is should be clear exactly what is being provided, and, where appropriate, by whom and how often, to meet all the needs identified.
For example, it should not just say a child will have access to a speech and language programme, but should say if it includes direct speech and language therapy, and if so how often/how long for, as well as who will be reviewing and implementing the programme, and anything else the provision should include.
We have also seen EHC plans being drawn up wrongly, such as including educational needs in the description of health needs (Section C), and the provision to meet the need set out as health provision (Section G).
What is included in a EHC plan?
An EHC plan is a legal document that describes a child or young
person’s special educational, health and social care needs. It
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.
The different sections may at first seem like a confusing
alphabet soup. It can help to understand that there are three
sections on needs (i.e. your child’s difficulties) that are matched
by corresponding provision (the help your child will get) to meet
those needs:
Section A can be useful in providing a quick summary of your
child. It should be based on information given by you and your
child or young person. Section A is not legally binding, so the
main detail of the plan should not be in here.
Section B describes your child’s special educational needs i.e.
what your child has difficulty with. The SEND code of practice
defines four broad areas of SEN. Many local authorities structure
the educational sections of the EHC plan in this way, but there is
no obligation to do so. These areas are:
Section C contains any health care needs related to your child’s
condition or SEN.
What is included in a EHC plan?
Describes the outcomes sought for the child or young person. The
child and young person will be given a copy of the
plan to review. The local authority will decide whether to issue an EHC plan
or not.
What are the outcomes sought for the child or young person? The child or young person will
be given a copy of the health plan to review. The local authority will decide whether to issue an EHC planor or not.
What are the outcomes for the child or young person? The local authority will decide whether to issue an EHC plan or not. The local authority will decide whether to issue an EHC plan or not and when that happens, who will give it
the advice of legal advisers?
What should you look for in mainstream schools, and how do you get funding for independent specialist schools for children with complex needs?
A report by the Charity Commission into the use of cookies and other tracking technologies by mainstream schools has been issued with the aim of clarifying what is and is not tracking, and to what end.
