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

For parents, carers and young people in England who need extra support with special educational needs.

Applies to: England Last checked against official sources: 6 October 2026

An EHCP (education, health and care plan) is a legal plan from your local council that sets out a child or young person's needs and the extra support they must get.

It is for people up to age 25 who need more help than normal special educational needs (SEN) support gives.
Parents, young people aged 16 to 25, teachers and doctors can ask the council for an assessment.
The council must give you the final plan within 20 weeks of the request.
You can appeal some decisions to the SEND Tribunal, usually after talking to a mediation adviser.

Different in Wales and Scotland

Wales uses Individual Development Plans (IDPs). Scotland has its own additional support for learning system.

Different in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland

Rules may be different in:

Scotland: Check mygov.scot for Scotland
Wales: Check gov.wales for Wales
Northern Ireland: Check nidirect for Northern Ireland

Key facts

For ages 0 to 25
Final plan within 20 weeks
At least 15 days to comment on draft
Appeals go to the SEND Tribunal

What an EHCP does

An EHC plan looks at three areas of a child's life:

Education: what help they need to learn
Health: health needs linked to their learning
Care: social care needs

It then sets out the extra support the child or young person will get to meet those needs.

Who it is for

EHC plans are for children and young people aged up to 25. They are for people who need more help than their school or college can give through normal SEN support. SEN support is the everyday extra help a school gives pupils with special educational needs.

Who can ask for an assessment

The first step is an EHC needs assessment by your local council. These people can ask for one:

parents
young people aged 16 to 25 (for themselves)
teachers
doctors and health visitors
family friends

Timescales

Stage	Time limit
Council decides whether a plan will be made	Within 16 weeks
You comment on the draft plan	At least 15 days
Final plan issued	Within 20 weeks of the request

How it works, step by step

Ask for an assessment. Contact your local council and ask for an assessment if you think your child needs an EHC plan.
The council assesses. It gathers information about your child's needs.
The council decides. It tells you within 16 weeks whether it will make a plan.
Check the draft. You get a draft plan. You have at least 15 days to comment. This is when you can ask for a specialist school or college.
Get the final plan. This must arrive within 20 weeks of the council getting the request.

Personal budgets

You may be able to get a personal budget. This is money to pay for some of the support in the plan. You can get it if your child has an EHC plan or has been told they need one. It can be paid as direct payments to you, held by the school or council for you, or managed by someone else.

If you disagree

You can challenge the council if it:

refuses to carry out an assessment or reassessment
refuses to make a plan after an assessment
will not change the education sections of an existing plan
decides a plan is no longer needed

The education sections of a plan include the support and the school or college named in it (sections B, F and I). Disagreements that are not sorted out go to the SEND Tribunal. In most cases you must talk to a mediation adviser before you appeal.

Free help is available from the Independent Parental Special Education Advice (IPSEA) and your local Information, Advice and Support Service (IASS). You may also qualify for legal aid.

If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland

This guide covers EHC plans in England.

Wales has an additional learning needs (ALN) system. It uses Individual Development Plans (IDPs).
Scotland has its own system of additional support for learning, set out in the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.

Related guides

Where this comes from

Get it done

This takes you to the official service, which is free to use.

Ask for an EHC assessment

Common questions

How long does an EHCP take?

The council must tell you within 16 weeks whether it will make a plan, and give you the final plan within 20 weeks of getting the request.

Can I appeal if the council refuses an EHC assessment?

Yes. You can appeal to the SEND Tribunal, but in most cases you must talk to a mediation adviser first.

Can I get a personal budget with an EHCP?

You may be able to get a personal budget if your child has an EHC plan or has been told they need one.

Official sources

1.Children with special educational needs: extra helpwww.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/extra-SEN-help
2.Appeal an EHC plan decisionwww.gov.uk/appeal-ehc-plan-decision
3.Additional learning needs: guidance for parents and carerswww.gov.wales/additional-learning-needs-guidance-parents-and-carers
4.Additional support for learningwww.gov.scot/policies/schools/additional-support-for-learning/

Checked against GOV.UK on 6 October 2026

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