EHCP guide for England: how Education, Health and Care plans work

Who is this EHCP guide for, and where does it apply?

It is for parents and carers in England, and for young people up to 25 who want to understand their own plan. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different systems. GOV.UK says the process is different in each and links to separate guidance, so if you live there, start from those pages.

This is general information, not legal advice. We are a shop, not a law firm, and we have read the official pages listed below on 20 October 2026. If your case is contested, speak to your local Information, Advice and Support (IAS) service, which GOV.UK points to for advice about SEND, or to a specialist charity such as IPSEA.

What is an EHC plan?

An Education, Health and Care plan is a legal document that sets out a child's needs and the extra support to meet them. GOV.UK describes it as for children and young people up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support, and says it identifies educational, health and social needs.

Most children with special educational needs get help from their school without a plan. A plan is for needs that school-level support cannot meet. The SEND code of practice, the statutory guidance for England, is for bodies including schools, colleges, local authorities and health bodies.

Who can ask for an EHC assessment?

Parents can ask their local authority, and young people aged 16 to 25 can ask for themselves. GOV.UK also lists doctors, health visitors, teachers and family friends as people who may make a request if they think an assessment may be necessary.

The authority may ask for school reports, doctors' assessments and a letter from you. Keep copies of everything you send and the date you sent it, because the timeline below runs from the date the council receives the request.

What is the EHCP timeline?

The council has 20 weeks from receiving your request to issue the final plan. Here is how the GOV.UK pages and the SEND Regulations 2014 break that down.

Councils work to these dates differently in practice. We did not review the exceptions that can extend the 20 weeks, so check your council's local offer page or ask IPSEA or your IAS service if yours is running late.

What does an EHCP contain?

A plan needs separately labelled sections. Regulation 12 of the SEND Regulations 2014 sets them out:

• A: the views, interests and aspirations of the child and parents, or the young person
• B: special educational needs
• C: health care needs related to those special educational needs
• D: social care needs related to special educational needs or a disability
• E: the outcomes sought
• F: the special educational provision required
• G: health care provision reasonably required
• H1 and H2: social care provision
• I: the name of the school, nursery, post-16 institution or other place to be attended
• J: where provision is to be secured by a direct payment
• K: the advice and information gathered during assessment, set out in appendices

Section F, the provision, and section I, the placement, are where many disagreements start. GOV.UK says the draft stage is the time to comment on both.

Can you appeal an EHCP decision?

Yes, to the SEND Tribunal. GOV.UK says you can appeal if the council:

• refuses to carry out an EHC assessment or reassessment
• refuses to create a plan after an assessment
• refuses to change the education sections of an existing plan (B, F and I)
• decides the child no longer needs a plan
• or you disagree with the plan itself

In most cases you must consider mediation first. GOV.UK says that if you do not want mediation you still need to contact the mediation service to get a certificate, and without one you must tell the Tribunal why. The only exception it names is an appeal solely about which school or institution is named in section I.

The Tribunal must receive your appeal within 2 months of the date on the council's decision letter, or within a month of the date on the mediation certificate, whichever is later. A parent appeals on behalf of a child under school leaving age. GOV.UK says the hearing is by video link or at a venue within 2 hours of your home, and that you do not have to attend.

Is the EHCP system changing?

Reform is proposed, not law, as far as the pages we read show. On 23 February 2026 the government published a schools white paper, Every child achieving and thriving. GOV.UK says EHCPs "will be retained and improved", and that for mainstream children best supported through the proposed individual support plans, transition will only begin from 2030. The page does not say legislation has passed.

Today's rules still apply. If you are about to start a request, nothing we read suggests waiting.

Which books help with the EHCP process?

The Essential EHCP Guide for Parents and Carers is the one that follows the process itself. Fisher is described by the publisher as an educational psychologist and teacher, and Fricker as an author and illustrator. It covers applying, mediation and implementing a plan, with timelines, template letters and forms for gathering evidence.

Can't Not Won't and The Family Experience of PDA are Fricker's family-side books, useful for the weeks when the paperwork is the smaller part of the problem. A Different Way to Learn is for families who have started to question whether school is the route at all. None of them replaces the GOV.UK pages or advice on your own case. Our books for parents of ADHD and autistic children guide covers the wider shelf.

Things to know

• General information only. Nothing here is legal advice. Dates and rules are from GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk pages read on 20 October 2026.
• Council practice varies. The statutory dates are the floor you can point to. How your council runs the process is set out on its local offer page.
• We have not read the books in full. Our notes come from the publisher's page and our shop data. Prices are from our data and move.
• Your child's voice matters. Section A is where their views and aspirations go. If they are old enough, ask them before you write it.
• Recheck before acting. Reform is under way, so look at GOV.UK for the current position before you rely on any date here.