EHC Plans and Annual Reviews

Who is it for? What is an Education, Health, and Social Care Plan (EHCP) and who is it for? In 2014, the Children and Families Act became law and introduced a new system of support relevant to parents and carers of children and young people aged 0 to 25 with special educational needs or disabilities. What is it for? This means there is a requirement to produce Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) using person-centered approaches. EHCPs replace statements of special educational needs and what were called Learning Difficulty Assessments. Two of the key messages in the Children and Families Act are that preparation for adulthood starts in early years, just as it does for all other children, and that providers are required to establish and maintain a culture of high expectations so all children and young people can achieve well. This means that goals set should be challenging, not just for the children and young people but for the education service providers too. This requires plans to have a much wider scope than a statement, which generally only addressed educational needs. Themes: The plan should, wherever possible, stretch across four themes: learning and future employment, hope and independence, friends, relationships and community, and health and well-being. Local authorities must issue a plan for a child or young person whose needs cannot be met from the expected budget in mainstream schools or settings, and for those who attend special schools or specialist colleges. An EHCP has 17 sections labeled A to K, each with a different purpose, and it is a legally binding document, meaning that certain things in it must happen. The contents of the EHCP are intended to be creative and a shared challenge for all those involved in order to achieve the best possible results and outcomes for the child or young person. In developing a plan, local authorities have a duty to take into account Section 19 principles and must have regard to the views, wishes, and feelings of the child, young person, or parent; the importance of their full participation in decisions; the importance of their being provided with the necessary information and support to participate; and the need to support the child or young person to achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, preparing them effectively for adulthood. Resources: How can you find out more or access local services and support? You can find out more about the SEND reforms and the Education, Health, and Care planning process by visiting the Local Offer page on your local authority website. Here, you'll be able to find impartial information, advice, and support, and learn about all the services that are available to you. Parents who require additional support are referred to their local Information, Advice, and Support Service. Further information, including a useful resource on writing good quality EHCPs, can be found at councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk.

The Education, Health, and Social Care Plan Annual Review. An Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) is supposed to be a living document, not something that sits on the shelf gathering dust. It should reliably reflect a child or young person's needs and aspirations, which is why the law requires it to be carefully checked each year. This is called the annual review, a way of making sure the plan is still correct. Parents and young people should see annual reviews as an opportunity to get things changed that are not working as expected, to update their aspirations (Part A), and if necessary, the outcomes (Part E), and for any new concerns or needs to be included in Parts B, C, or D. The annual review is a legal process, which means certain things need to happen before the annual review meeting takes place and others afterwards. It takes 8 weeks to complete and must be completed by the anniversary of when the plan was first issued or the last review meeting. It can be broken down into five steps. Steps one and two take place during the four weeks before the meeting. Steps 1 and 2: Step one is when requests for updated information will be made. This should include information from parents, children and young people, the professionals involved, as well as school assessments, notes from meetings over the past year, and observations. This is sometimes referred to as evidence. Invitations: Step two is when invitations are sent out. This must include the parent and young person. This preparation is to make sure all the right people and an up-to-date picture is available for the meeting. Step 3 - Meeting: The Children and Families Act expects the annual review meeting to look at things from a person-centered point of view. This means that parents, children, and young people are fully involved and able to share their views, wishes, and feelings. It must consider progress and plan for what needs to happen in the coming year. The meeting must focus on the following seven points and not just look at how things have gone in the past year in school: it must focus on progress made towards achieving outcomes, establish if the outcomes are still appropriate, and if necessary, agree on new ones. Review the short-term targets and set new ones, check that the special educational provision and the arrangements for delivering it are still appropriate, meaning progress can be made. Review any health and social care provision, check if the aspirations have changed, and check if the parent or young person would like to request a personal budget. Step 4 - Report: After the meeting, the host or person leading the review must write a report. This should include details of the discussions during the meeting, including any suggested changes and any disagreements. This must be sent to everyone who was invited to the meeting and to the local authority within two weeks of the meeting taking place. Step 5 - Decision: When the local authority receives the report, it will make a decision on whether the EHCP should remain unchanged, needs to be updated, or is no longer required. They must inform the parent or young person of their decision no later than four weeks after the meeting. It’s important that parents and young people understand what will happen if they agree to the decision and equally what they can do if they disagree. Parents and young people who require additional support are referred to their local Information, Advice, and Support Service. Further guidance on the annual review process, along with examples of good practice relating to Education, Health, and Social Care Plans, can be found by visiting the Council for Disabled Children website at www.kppc.org/keeps.