What makes a good EHC plan - Children, families and education

Professionals across education, health and care have worked alongside the co-chairs of the Devon Parent Carer Forum to agree on a common set of standards about what an EHC plan should be.

This has been informed by the thoughts of parents gathered through the forum and gives us a common set of principles that we are all agreeing to work with and use.

EHC plan charter

A good EHC plan will reflect me, my views and my wishes…it will be useful and usable and:

share my views and focus on my aspirations for the future
build on my strengths, support that is already there in school, in my community and at home
will be about my learning, my care and my health
be used by everyone around me – they will share it, read it, understand it and make sure actions happen
have other plans underneath it – a school plan with short-term targets that school looks at every term – there may also be a care plan or a health plan as well (these plans can change quickly)
use simple language and common sense that we can all understand. It will be copied into accessible communication – for example, braille – if needed

What a good EHC plan will describe

Where I am now

It will include:

the things I am good at and what I find difficult
any diagnosis or conditions I have
the important things happening in my life
how these things impact my life and my learning

Where I want to get to

It will:

have an eye to the future, where I want to get to next and when I am older
support conversations about my future education, jobs, and independence as I get older
have a small set of outcomes that everyone works towards
include and work towards my aspirations

How I am going to get there

It will describe:

what will happen to help me make progress; when it happens, how often it happens, who does what and where it happens
what else I need in school or college or my care and for my health, to help me to feel safe, happy and be ready to learn

A good EHC plan will also check I am on track to get there. It will:

be reviewed each year by all those who have done and those who are still supporting me
be amended when big changes happen such as key points in my life, for example, moving to a new school or new needs emerging – it shouldn’t need to be amended every year
stop when I no longer need the special educational provision

Education, health and care (EHC) plans

Step 1
If you feel that your child is not making progress, you might be considering requesting an EHC needs assessment - but, the quickest way to get some extra support for your child is to speak to staff at their school, college or education setting. We'd always recommend having these conversations before proceeding with a request for assessment.
Step 2
Follow our guidance on how to make a request, who should be involved in making the request and what happens once you have submitted it. We must give you a decision about whether or not we'll carry out an assessment within six weeks of your request.
Step 3
Find out more about what happens if we agree to carry out an assessment. We must tell you whether or not we will issue an EHC plan within 16 weeks of your request.
Step 4
The Local Authority will create a draft EHC plan and send you a copy. You will have 15 calendar days to give your suggested amendments and views before a final plan is issued. We must issue a final EHC plan within 20 weeks of your original request.
Step 5
Over time, your child’s needs may change. We will review their EHC plan each year as a minimum to ensure it continues to meet their needs.
Step 6
Find out more about what will happen if you need to transfer an EHC plan into or out of Devon.
1. Transferring an EHC plan

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