What is an EHCP? Meaning and plain-English guide

In short

An EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) is a legal document for a child or young person aged 0 to 25 with special educational needs.
It lists your child’s needs and the support they must get. The council has a legal duty to provide the education support in it.
You can ask the council for an EHCP yourself. You don’t need the school to agree, and your child doesn’t need a diagnosis.

What does EHCP stand for?

EHCP stands for Education, Health and Care Plan. It is a legal document, written by your local council, that describes a child or young person’s special educational needs and sets out the support they must get. EHCPs are used in England for children and young people from birth to age 25.

You may also see it called an EHC plan. EHCPs replaced the old “statement of special educational needs” in September 2014, when Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 came into force.

The plan is made after an assessment of your child’s needs, called an EHC needs assessment. It has a fixed structure, and the law says what must be in it.

What does an EHCP do?

An EHCP does four things:

It describes your child’s needs in detail, including what they can do well.
It sets out the outcomes your child is working towards, such as reading independently or making friends.
It lists the exact support your child must get to reach those outcomes, across education, health and social care.
It names the nursery, school or college your child will go to.

The most important part is the education support, called Section F. The council has a legal duty to make sure your child gets every bit of it. This is the main difference between an EHCP and the help a school gives without one.

Is an EHCP a legal document?

Yes. Once a plan is final, the law says who must provide what:

Education support (Section F): the council must secure it. It cannot say there isn’t enough money.
Health support (Section G): the local NHS body must arrange it.
Some social care support (Section H1): the council must provide it.

These duties come from section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014. If support in the plan isn’t being given, you can complain and, if needed, take further action. Read what to do if the council isn’t meeting its duties.

Why this matters. Without an EHCP, the support your child gets depends on what the school can offer from its own budget. With an EHCP, the support is written down and someone is legally responsible for providing it.

Who is an EHCP for?

An EHCP is for children and young people who need more help than their nursery, school or college can normally give from its own resources. That everyday extra help is called SEN support.

It covers ages 0 to 25.
Your child does not need a diagnosis. What matters is what they need, not the label. Read getting an EHCP without a diagnosis.
It can cover nursery, school, college and some apprenticeships. It does not cover university.
Children with many different needs have EHCPs, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, speech and language needs, learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental health needs. Read EHCPs for autism, ADHD and dyslexia.

The three levels of help at school

It helps to think of support in three levels. Most children with special educational needs get the help they need at level 2. An EHCP is level 3.

Most children with special educational needs are helped at level 2. An EHCP is for children who need more.

How is an EHCP different from SEN support?

	SEN support	EHCP
Who decides the help	The school	The council, after an assessment
Who pays	The school, from its own budget	The council, with extra funding where needed
Is the help legally guaranteed?	No	Yes, the education support in Section F
Can you appeal?	No	Yes, to the SEND Tribunal
Can you name a school?	No	Yes, and the council must usually agree
How often is it reviewed?	Regularly, often each term	At least once every 12 months, by law

Based on the Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3, and the SEND Code of Practice, chapters 6 and 9.

What is in an EHCP?

Every EHCP in England has the same sections, labelled A to K. Councils use different templates, but the sections must all be there.

Section	What it covers
A	Your child’s views, interests and hopes, and yours
B	Your child’s special educational needs
C	Health needs linked to their SEN
D	Social care needs linked to their SEN or disability
E	The outcomes your child is working towards
F	The special educational support they must get
G	Health support
H1 and H2	Social care support
I	The name and type of school or college
J	Details of any personal budget
K	The advice and reports used in the assessment

Based on the SEND Code of Practice, chapter 9, and regulation 12 of the SEND Regulations 2014.

Sections B, F and I matter most if you ever need to appeal. See the sections of an EHCP or an example EHCP to see what good wording looks like.

What an EHCP gives your child

Support that is written down and legally secured
The right to ask for a particular school or college, mainstream or special. Read naming a school in an EHCP.
A review at least once every 12 months. Read EHCP annual reviews.
The right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal about key decisions
The right to ask for a personal budget

An EHCP does not give your family benefits. Disability Living Allowance is a separate application to the Department for Work and Pensions. An EHCP also doesn’t mean free school transport, although many children with one qualify. Read what an EHCP entitles your child to and school transport with an EHCP.

How long does an EHCP last?

An EHCP lasts for as long as your child needs it. It can continue until the end of the academic year in which they turn 25, as long as they stay in education or training.

The council can only stop a plan in limited situations, such as when your child no longer needs it or leaves education. It must consult you first, and you can appeal. A plan ends if your child starts university. Read what to do if the council wants to stop an EHCP.

Does my child need an EHCP?

It may be time to ask for one if any of these sound familiar:

The school has given SEN support for a while, but your child is still struggling or falling further behind.
Your child needs more help than the school says it can afford or arrange.
Several professionals are involved, such as a speech and language therapist and an educational psychologist, and their advice isn’t joined up.
Your child is often anxious about school, out of class, on a reduced timetable or not attending.
You think your child needs a different school, such as a special school.

The legal test for an assessment is lower than many people think. The council must assess if your child has or may have special educational needs, and may need support through a plan. Read EHCP criteria: does my child qualify?

How do you get an EHCP?

Ask the council for an EHC needs assessment. You, your child’s school, or a young person aged 16 to 25 can ask.
The council decides within 6 weeks whether to assess. If it says yes, it gathers advice from you and from professionals.
If the council decides a plan is needed, you get a draft plan to comment on, with at least 15 days to reply.
The council sends the final plan. The whole process should take no more than 20 weeks.

Read how to apply for an EHCP, or use our free letter to ask for an assessment.

How long does it take to get an EHCP?

By law, the final plan must arrive within 20 weeks of the council receiving your request, apart from a few narrow exceptions. In practice, many councils are late. In 2025, 46.1% of new EHCPs in England were issued within 20 weeks, leaving out cases where an exception applied.

See the EHCP timeline week by week, or check how your council is doing.

Check the exact deadlines for your child

Are EHCPs changing?

In February 2026 the government published proposals to reform the SEND system, including new Individual Support Plans for many children. These are proposals, not law. The consultation closed on 18 May 2026, and the government has said any new law would not take effect before September 2029, with existing plans not moving to a new system before 2030.

For now, the current law applies in full. If your child needs an EHCP, you can still ask for one today. Read the SEND Code of Practice explained for more on what could change.

Read SEND reforms and the 2026 white paper for what could change, and when.

Wondering about money? Read benefits for a child with an EHCP.

Questions parents ask

Does an EHCP mean my child has to go to a special school?

No. Most children with an EHCP go to a mainstream school. You can ask for the school you want, mainstream or special, and the council must usually agree.

Can I ask for an EHCP if the school says my child doesn’t need one?

Yes. You can ask the council directly. The school’s view is one piece of evidence, not the final word.

Is an EHCP the same as a statement?

An EHCP replaced the statement of special educational needs in September 2014. The legal test for getting one stayed the same, but an EHCP can last up to age 25 and covers health and social care as well as education.

Does it cost anything to get an EHCP?

No. The assessment and the plan are free. Some families pay for private reports, but you don’t have to. Read private assessments and reports for an EHCP.

Do EHCPs exist in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

No. EHCPs are only used in England. Wales uses Individual Development Plans, Scotland uses Coordinated Support Plans, and Northern Ireland uses statements of special educational needs. Our guides cover England only.

Does an EHCP last forever?

No. It lasts until your child no longer needs it, leaves education or training, or reaches the end of the academic year in which they turn 25. It must be reviewed at least once a year.

If a term is new to you, see EHCP jargon explained.

What to do next

Does my child qualify? The legal test for an assessment, in plain English.
How to apply for an EHCP Ask the council to assess, step by step.
Free letter: ask for an assessment Copy it, fill in the gaps and send it to the council.