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Most children and young people with special educational needs will have help given to them without the need for an EHC Plan, this is called SEN Support.
If a child or young person doesn't make the progress expected of them, even with the extra help through SEN Support, the Local Authority can carry out an EHC needs assessment which will decide whether the child or young person is given an EHC Plan.
What is an EHC Plan?
An Education, Health, and Care (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 is required 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 Local Authority, (Bath & North East Somerset Council), has a duty to make sure that the support detailed in the EHC plan is secured and delivered.
Watch the video - What is an Education, Health and Care Plan?
Who needs an EHC plan?
EHC plans are for children and young people whose special educational needs (SEN) require more help than would normally be provided in nursery, at college or through SEN support at school.
Children with an EHC plan may go to a mainstream school or a special school, depending on their needs.
Although an EHC plan can include health or social care needs a child or young person will not get a plan if they only have health or social care needs that do not affect their education.
An EHC plan can be issued to a child or young person between the ages of 0 and 25 years.
Getting an EHC Plan
A parent, or young person if aged over 16, a nursery, school, or college or other professional can ask the local authority in which the child or young person lives, to carry out an EHC needs assessment.
If the local authority agrees to assess, the assessment will determine whether the child or young person needs an EHC plan and, if so, what support is needed. When the assessment is finished, the local authority will decide whether to issue an EHC Plan to provide further support.
For more information, please read our step-by-step guide to getting an EHC Plan and our factsheets on EHC Needs assessments and EHC Plans.
Annual review of the plan
The plan must be reviewed at least once a year or every 3-6 months for children under 5. At the end of the review the local authority may make changes to the plan, end it, or leave it unchanged. Read more about annual reviews in our factsheet and use our annual review resources.
How long does the plan last?
The plan will remain in place until your child leaves education or the local authority decides that your child no longer needs the plan to help them in their education. If you move to another local authority, the plan will move across too.
SEND Code of practice 0 to 25
Chapter 9 of the Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years, gives statutory guidance about Education, Health and Care needs assessments and plans for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities.