Find out about an education, health and care plan, or EHC plan, for children or young people with special educational needs (SEN).
Information about EHC plans is also available in an easy read format, download EHC needs assessments and EHC plans: Easy Read [PDF]
On this page
- What is an EHC plan?
- What is an EHC needs assessment and how do I request one?
- EHC Digital Hub
- What happens after a request is made for an EHC needs assessment?
- How is a decision made on whether on an EHC plan is required?
- What information should an EHC plan contain?
- Does the EHC plan get reviewed?
- Disagreements and complaints
- Advice and support
What is an EHC plan?
An education, health and care (EHC) plan is for children and young people, aged up to 25, who need more support than is available through special educational needs support.
EHC plans identify educational, health and social needs and set out the additional support to meet those needs.
The special educational provision described in an EHC plan must be provided by the child or young person’s local authority.
Find out more about EHC plans from the Council for Disabled Children in this 3-minute YouTube video:
Does my child need an EHC plan to meet their special educational needs?
Not necessarily. Schools have a duty to identify children with special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities and put support in place for them.
Most children and young people with special educational needs will have their needs meet in local mainstream settings. For more information go to the SEN support page.
An EHC plan is for children and young people whose special educational needs require more help than would normally be provided in a mainstream education setting (school, college, nursery).
If after a child or young person has been receiving a high level of ‘SEN support’ and is still not making satisfactory progress, the local authority may be asked to complete an EHC needs assessment.
This assessment is undertaken when it may be necessary for a child or young person to have support which is only available with an EHC plan.
What is an EHC needs assessment and how do I request one?
An EHC needs assessment is the process the local authority carries out to determine whether a child needs an EHC plan and, if so, the support (provision) contained within it.
The following people can make a formal request to the local authority for an EHC needs assessment:
- A parent
- A young person themselves, if over age 16
- A nursery, school or college.
How do I request an EHC needs assessment?
In Nottinghamshire, we ask that, wherever possible, parents discuss an EHC needs assessment request with their school or educational setting.
We recommend that the next steps are to:
- arrange a meeting with a professional in the school or education setting, usually the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO)
- decide if you or the school or education setting wish to make an EHC needs assessment request.
If a decision has been made to proceed with an EHC needs assessment, this can be completed by the education setting, parent or a young person (if over age 16) directly through the EHC Digital Hub.
Request a new EHC assessment on the EHC Digital Hub website
What if I cannot complete the request online?
Where needed, a request can be made by completing the following form.
- NCC SEND EHC needs assessment request (opens in new tab)doc file[65KB]
Once completed, email the form to the Statutory SEND Service through the contact details below.
The email address you use will depend on which district you live in.
If you live in:
- Ashfield Plan and Review 01157738315 ashfieldsendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- Bassetlaw Plan and Review 01157738317 bassetlawsendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- Broxtowe Plan and Review 01157738318 broxtowesendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- Gedling Plan and Review 01157738321 gedlingsendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- Mansfield Plan and Review 01157738322 mansfieldsendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- Newark and Sherwood Plan and Review 01157738323 newarkandsherwoodsendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- Rushcliffe Plan and Review 01157738324 rushcliffesendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- SEND Educated Other Than At School (EOTAS) 01157738319 eotassendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- EHC Assessment 01157738316 assessmentsendservice@nottscc.gov.uk
- SEND Education Pathway 01157738326 sendeducationpathway@nottscc.gov.uk
- SEND Central 01157738325 sendcentral@nottscc.gov.uk
EHC Digital Hub
The EHC Digital Hub is a digital platform for parents and carers, professionals and education settings to engage, contribute and collaborate on EHC assessments, plans and reviews.
Find out about the EHC Digital Hub and how it's used in the EHC assessment process in this 3-minute YouTube video:
EHC Digital Hub help and guidance
Requesting a new EHC assessment
To request a new EHC assessment, go to the EHC Digital Hub
Parents and carers guide on how to register for an account
Download Accessing the EHC Hub and account registration (Nottinghamshire County Council [PDF]
This video explains the account registration process: EHC Digital Hub: Account registration (IDOX Software) [Video, 3 minutes]
If you already have an account
If you've already registered and want to log in to your account, go to the EHC Hub website log-in page
Contributing to an EHC needs assessment guide
If you are a parent or carer who needs to contribute information to the assessment download Contribute advice towards an assessment parent or carer (Nottinghamshire County Council) [PDF]
Please note: This guide is for parents or carers who have already registered for an account. If you need to register, please see the 'Parents or carers guide on how to register for an account' above.
Frequently asked questions about the EHC Digital Hub
Download Nottinghamshire EHC Hub Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (IDOX) [PDF]
What happens after a request is made for an EHC needs assessment?
If you request an EHC needs assessment, the Statutory SEND Service will contact you to introduce themselves and talk through what will happen next and clarify any details if required.
Statutory SEND Service will collect supporting information from educational professionals that work, or have worked, with your child recently. Once all this information is gathered, professionals will consider if it is necessary to carry out an EHC needs assessment.
If a local authority is requested to carry out an EHC needs assessment it must consider both if:
- the child or young person has or may have special educational needs (SEN)
- they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.
This test is set out in law from the Children and Families Act 2014 Section 36(8). You can find this information at Children and Families Act 2014 (The National Archives)
The local authority must respond within six weeks to let you know whether it agrees to carry out an EHC needs assessment.
What if the local authority decide not to carry out an EHC needs assessment?
If the local authority decide not to carry out an EHC needs assessment they must inform the parent or young person of the reasons why this decision was made.
The decision can be discussed with the school or educational setting as there may be further support that could be requested or provided.
The parent or young person can appeal this decision. For further information on this, go to SEND Local Offer: Disagreements and complaints
How is a decision made on whether on an EHC plan is required?
If an EHC needs assessment is agreed, an EHC Coordinator is allocated.
The EHC needs assessment involves collecting views, information and advice which will inform the decision as to whether or not a statutory EHC Plan is required.
Reports will be gathered from the following key people.
- Parent or those with caring responsibilties
- Child or young person if appropriate
- Education settings
- Educational Psychologist
- Health professionals
- Social care professionals
- Other professionals who are involved
Once requested, the reports have to be returned to Statutory SEND Service within 6 weeks.
After the EHC needs assessment has taken place the involved professionals will meet and read all the information and reports gathered during the EHC needs assessment process.
They discuss:
- the child or young person’s special educational needs
- whether the current special educational provision is working
- whether the child or young person is making enough progress
- whether the child or young person needs something different or extra than could be reasonably be provided from within the resources normally available to mainstream settings
The local authority then decides if it is necessary for the special educational provision to be made in accordance with an EHC plan.
The family will receive a letter informing them of the decision. If this is a ‘Yes to Plan’ decision, then the case worker will draft the plan and the process will continue.
The local authority should then send the final EHC plan to the parent or young person within 20 weeks from the date the assessment was requested.
If the local authority decide not to issue an EHC Plan
If the local authority decides not to issue an EHC plan, it must tell the parent or young person within 16 weeks of the date the request for an assessment was made.
Copies of the reports will be provided to the family and education setting.
We suggest that you contact the educational setting to arrange a meeting to share the reports with the education staff. At the meeting you can decide together how the current support matches the recommendations in the reports. It may be that during the discussion you identify further steps to be taken to ensure that advice from professionals is used in supporting your child or young person.
The parent or young person can appeal this decision for an EHC plan not to be issued.
Learn how to appeal a decision to the First Tier Tribunal on the SEND Local Offer: Disagreements and complaints page
You can also download Local authority decisions about EHC plans: Guidance for parents and young people (Nottinghamshire County Council)
Legal basis for the decision
The local authority must decide whether it will issue an EHC plan for the child or young person based on the evidence it has gathered as part of the EHC needs assessment.
The legal test which the local authority must apply is found in section 37(1) of the Children and Families Act 2014 which states:
“(1) Where, in the light of an EHC needs assessment, it is necessary for special educational provision to be made for a child or young person in accordance with an EHC plan -
(a) the local authority must secure that an EHC plan is prepared for the child or young person, and
(b) once an EHC plan has been prepared, it must maintain the plan.”
This means the local authority must decide, on the basis of the evidence from the EHC needs assessment, whether it is necessary for the child or young person to have an EHC plan.
What information should an EHC plan contain?
EHC plans must include certain information, which must be set out in the following separate sections:
- Section A: The views, interests and aspirations of the child or young person
- Section B: The child's or young person's Special Educational Needs
- Section C: Any health needs relating to their SEND
- Section D: Any social care needs relating to their SEND
- Section E: The intended outcomes for the child or young person, which should be joined across education, health and social care where appropriate
- Section F: What special educational provision is needed for the child or young person's SEND
- Section G, H1, H2: What provision is needed from health or social care services
- Section I: Name and type of education placement
- Section J: Details of any agreed personal budgets
- Section K: Advice and information gathered through the EHC needs assessment
The SEND Code of Practice (from page 164) describes what's included in each section of the EHC Plan in detail.
Download SEND Code of Practice (Department for Education) [PDF]
The Children and Families Act 2014 (section 37) describes what an EHC plan is and what it must include.
Go to the Children and Families Act 2014 section 37 (The National Archives)
Does the EHC plan get reviewed?
EHC plans must be reviewed at least annually and it is usually the school/education setting that will arrange this. Reviews should involve the child/young person as much as possible.
Information will be gathered from parents or carers and children or young people as well as from professionals about the EHC plan. A review meeting will be arranged for everyone involved.
The meeting must consider:
- progress made towards achieving the outcomes in the EHC plan.
- for young people in year 9 and above, provision required to help the young person move into adulthood.
The purpose of the review meeting is to:
- bring together the views of parents or carers, your child and all those involved in supporting them
- review if progress towards outcomes is being made and if outcomes have been met. Set outcomes for the end of the key stage.
- review the special educational provision made for your child, any further action and who will be responsible for this
- recommend possible amendments to the EHC plan, if appropriate
- consider whether an EHC plan is still required.
Learn more about annual reviews: Download Reviewing an Education, Health and Care plan: information for parents/carers (Nottinghamshire County Council) [PDF]
Find out about EHC plan annual reviews from the Council for Disabled Children in this 4-minute YouTube video:
The Council for Disabled Children also have a guide for young people on EHC annual reviews download How to share your views for your annual review (Council for Disabled Children) [PDF]
EHC Digital Hub contributing to a review
This video from IDOX shows how to contribute ahead of a review meeting (IDOX Software) [Video,7:30 minutes]
Disagreements and complaints
When local authorities make certain decisions about the education or training of a child or young person with special educational needs or disability (SEND), there is a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.
This includes:
- decisions about whether to carry out an EHC needs assessment
- local authority decisions about EHC plans.
Learn how to appeal a decision to the First-tier Tribunal on SEND Local Offer- Disagreements and complaints
Advice and support
Ask Us Nottinghamshire is a service, which offers free impartial and confidential information, advice and support for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
You can contact Ask Us if you are the parent of a child with SEND, or if you are a young person up to the age of 25 looking for support.
Learn about the support they offer on the Ask Us Nottinghamshire website