An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) can help secure the right support for a child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It is a legal plan, issued by the local authority in England, which describes a child’s needs, the outcomes they should work towards and the special educational provision required to support them.
Families often ask what evidence they need before requesting an Education, Health and Care needs assessment, or when contributing to an assessment already under way. There is no single document that guarantees an EHCP. Local authorities should consider the child’s individual circumstances, needs and the support required. However, clear, specific and up-to-date evidence can help everyone understand the difficulties your child is experiencing and why ordinarily available support may not be enough.
What is an EHCP?
An EHCP brings together information about a child’s education, health and social care needs where these are relevant to their special educational needs. It should set out:
- the child or young person’s special educational needs;
- their health and social care needs related to those educational needs;
- the outcomes they are working towards;
- the special educational provision required to meet their needs;
- any health or social care provision that is reasonably required; and
- the educational setting or type of setting that will meet their needs.
An EHCP is not simply a summary of diagnoses. A diagnosis of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, developmental language disorder or a mental health condition may be relevant, but the plan should focus on how the child’s needs affect their access to learning, participation, communication, emotional wellbeing, independence and daily life.
Educational evidence to gather
School-based information is often central to an EHCP request. Ask the school or setting for copies of relevant records and reports, where appropriate. Useful evidence may include:
- the Special Educational Needs Coordinator’s (SENCO’s) assessment and advice;
- school support plans, including provision under the graduated approach;
- individual education plans, provision maps or outcome plans;
- records of interventions, including what was tried, how often and for how long;
- information about your child’s response to support;
- attendance, punctuality and exclusion records where these are relevant;
- examples of work showing barriers to learning;
- reports from teachers, teaching assistants or pastoral staff; and
- records of reasonable adjustments, behaviour support or risk management plans.
Evidence is most helpful when it describes the difference between what your child can do with appropriate support and what happens without it. For example, rather than stating that a child “struggles with attention”, a report might explain that they need instructions broken into individual steps, frequent adult prompts, movement breaks and a reduced-distraction environment to begin and complete tasks.
Ask for information about the frequency, intensity and consistency of support. Details such as “adult support as needed” can be difficult to interpret. It is more useful to know whether support is required throughout a lesson, at transitions, during unstructured times or across the school day.
Health and clinical evidence
Health evidence may include reports from paediatrics, child and adolescent mental health services, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, audiology or other relevant services. A diagnostic assessment can also help explain a child’s profile, but a diagnosis is not always necessary before requesting an EHCP needs assessment.
Clinical evidence should link identified difficulties to functional impact. For example, a report might describe how autistic communication differences affect understanding of figurative language and changes to routine, or how ADHD-related executive functioning difficulties affect organisation, working memory and task completion.
Where a child has emotional or mental health needs, relevant evidence may describe anxiety, school avoidance, emotional regulation, sleep difficulties, self-harm risk, distress during transitions or the impact of these difficulties on attendance and learning. Information should be factual, balanced and focused on the child’s support needs.
If your child has not received a formal assessment, you can still describe observed difficulties and seek professional advice. Avoid presenting a suspected diagnosis as confirmed. A suitably qualified clinician can help distinguish between possible explanations and provide recommendations that are relevant to education.
Evidence from home and everyday life
Families see aspects of a child’s needs that may not be visible at school. Your written contribution can explain what happens before and after school, during homework, at bedtime, in the community and during changes in routine.
Consider keeping a brief, dated record of significant difficulties. You may wish to note:
- what happened and what appeared to trigger it;
- how long the difficulty lasted;
- what support or adjustments helped;
- how much adult supervision was needed;
- the effect on sleep, attendance, family life or daily functioning; and
- your child’s own views, where they can express them.
Examples are usually more informative than general descriptions. Explain how often an issue occurs and whether it is predictable, rather than relying only on words such as “severe” or “significant”. It is also important to describe strengths, interests and what motivates your child. Effective provision should build on these strengths while addressing barriers.
Preparing your child’s views
Children and young people should be involved in decisions about their education and support in a way that is appropriate to their age and understanding. Their views, wishes and feelings can be shared in different formats, including conversation, drawings, photographs, a one-page profile or a trusted adult’s written account.
Your child may want to explain what makes school easier or harder, which situations cause distress, how they prefer to communicate and what they would like to achieve. If they find formal meetings difficult, ask whether their views can be gathered beforehand and shared in a supportive way.
How a professional supporting report can help
A supporting report should not simply repeat existing records or provide a diagnosis without explaining its educational relevance. It should bring together information from assessment, family history, school evidence and the child’s presentation to clarify:
- the child’s identified or suspected needs;
- how those needs affect learning, communication, emotional wellbeing and participation;
- the support already attempted and its effectiveness;
- the provision likely to be required; and
- practical, measurable recommendations for school and home.
Recommendations are stronger when they are specific and linked to the child’s needs. Depending on the assessment findings, this might include structured teaching, visual supports, explicit teaching of social communication, support with transitions, adapted instructions, sensory adjustments, emotional regulation work or help with executive functioning. The report should make clear what the support involves, who should provide it and when it is needed, while recognising that final decisions about provision sit with the local authority and education setting.
Practical tips before submitting evidence
- Organise documents chronologically and label each report clearly.
- Keep a short summary of your child’s main needs and the support that has been tried.
- Check that reports use your child’s current name, age, school and relevant dates.
- Highlight recommendations that relate directly to education and daily functioning.
- Ask your child’s school to identify gaps in existing provision and evidence.
- Keep copies of everything you submit and record important conversations.
- Seek independent advice from your local SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) if you need help understanding the process.
Families should remember that an EHCP assessment is not a test of parenting or a judgement about a school. It is a process for understanding what support a child requires. Evidence can be incomplete at the outset, and further information may be requested during the assessment.
EHCP advice and supporting reports from Healing Young Minds
At Healing Young Minds, our Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatry service provides assessments and treatment for children and young people with autism, ADHD and mental health conditions, following NICE-guideline diagnostic pathways. We can help families understand their child’s profile and, where appropriate, prepare a clear supporting report that explains functional needs and relevant educational recommendations.
To discuss EHCP advice or a supporting report for your child, please contact Healing Young Minds through healingyoungminds.com.