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What education, health and care plans are for

If your child or young person is identified as having or possibly having SEN, an agreed approach to include additional support for them will be put in place from their education setting.

If you have not spoken to your education setting about the support you can receive, we recommend that you talk to them before requesting an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

This means that most children with SEND don’t need an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

An EHC plan

  • is written by Kent County Council

  • sets out clearly the parent, child or young person’s views and aspirations for the future

  • includes information and advice from the education, health or social care professionals who know or are working with the child or young person

  • describes the child or young person’s special educational needs and their strengths

  • states the outcomes that the EHC plan will support the child or young person to achieve

  • sets out clearly the support to be given to enable the child or young person to achieve the outcomes that are written in their EHC plan

  • is a legal document issued by the local authority that the education setting must follow

  • prepares the child or young person for adulthood

Information Advice and Support Kent (IASK) have put together information leaflets for parents, to help you to understand EHC needs and assessments and plans, download:

Request an EHC needs assessment

You should ask your education setting to complete an EHC needs assessment on your behalf to determine if an EHC plan would be beneficial. This should only happen after you've already had support put in place by your education setting and are unhappy with the progress despite the support.

If you do not feel you can ask the education setting to request a needs assessment on your behalf, you can request one yourself.

Any parent or any young person over the age of 16 can request an EHC needs assessment.