What is an education, health and care plan (EHCP)?

Education, Health and Care plans are often known as EHCPs.

For some children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the support that a nursery, school or college can provide is not enough to help them. These children and young people may need support through an EHCP. 

An EHCP is a legal document. The plan outlines: 

• the needs of the child or young person
• what they and their parents/carers want them to achieve
• the support they need
• and who will provide this support. 

Most children and young people with SEN get the right level of support without the need for an EHCP. This is called special educational needs (SEN) support. EHCPs are for those whose SEN cannot be met by SEN Support.  

An EHCP can be issued to a child or young person between the ages of 0 and 25 years. A child or young person must have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment to determine if an EHCP is needed.  

The Council for Disabled Children have produced a guide to EHCPs [PDF 447KB]. The guide tells you about the law and what should be in each section of an EHCP.