An education, health and care (EHC) plan is a legal document which describes a  child or young person’s special educational needs (SEN) which have been identified as part of an EHC needs assessment (EHCNA). It also includes any support arrangements (which are referred to as SEN provision) that have been recommended to help meet the child or young person’s identified needs and support them to make progress towards achieving the outcomes which have been set for them. An EHC plan will also outline any health and social care needs and provision which have been identified as part of the EHC needs assessment process.

An EHC plan can only be issued after your child or young person has gone through the EHC needs assessment process and the council have decided that an EHC plan is required to meet your child or young person’s SEN in line with the criteria outlined in the SEND code of practice.

For more information, see education, health and social care plan annual review (video) (external link).

My child or young person has been issued an EHC plan

If your child or young person is issued with an EHC plan, Wigan Council are legally responsible for maintaining and amending the plan as required following an annual review.

At the point that the EHC plan is issued, we will confirm the name of the EHC coordinator who is allocated to the school/setting that is named in the child or young person’s EHC plan. This coordinator will be your single point of contact, and you should contact them with any questions or queries you may have which relate to the child or young person’s EHC plan or educational placement. The EHC plan coordinator may change if the child or young person changes school/setting and as they move through key phases of their education.

For more information, contact the SEND team.

What should an EHC plan contain?

An EHC plan must contain:

• Section A: The views, interests and aspirations of the child and the parents
• Section B: The child's special educational needs
• Section C: The child's health care needs which relate to their SEN
• Section D: The child's social care needs which relate to their SEN or to a disability
• Section E: The outcomes sought for the child
• Section F: The special educational provision required to meet their SEN
• Section G: Any health care provision reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in the child having SEN
• Section H: Any social care provision required from children’s or adults services under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, and/or reasonably required by the learning difficulties or disabilities which result in the child having SEN
• Section I: The name of the school or other institution to be attended by the child, and the type of that institution (or just the type if no specific institution is named)
• Section J: Details of any direct payment which will be made
• Section K: Copies of all the advice and information obtained as part of the EHC needs assessment.

Your child or young person’s EHC plan will be written in a way that makes it clear who is required to implement and deliver anything that is outlined, when it must happen and how often it should be reviewed.

I am unhappy about the contents of the EHC plan

If you are unhappy about the contents your child or young person’s EHC Plan, you can request that your child or young person’s EHC plan coordinator consider any amendments to the content of this either following:

• The draft plan being issued after a new EHC needs assessment being completed
• The letter issued to you outlining the Council’s response to your child or young person’s annual review meeting.

If there has been a sudden or unexpected change in your child or young person’s circumstances, special educational needs (and you feel that the support your child gets needs to change) you can request an early annual review.