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Junior Site - Saunders Avenue, Riverdown Park, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3PG
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EHCP Process

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is for children and young people up to the age of 25 who need more support than is normally available through SEN (Special Educational Needs) support in school.

An EHCP identifies a child or young person’s educational, health, and social needs and sets out the additional support required to meet those needs.

Education, Health and Care Plans provide a holistic approach to support planning for children and young people with SEND. They consider the whole person – their strengths, interests, needs, and challenges. Importantly, they capture the views of the child or young person, as well as those of their parents and carers.

Solutions are designed to focus on what is most important to the child or young person, helping them achieve positive outcomes both in school and in life.

An EHCP is the formal document through which specialist educational support is assessed, planned, and recorded. While schools can often provide additional support within the classroom or in small groups, an EHCP sets out any extra or different provision required and ensures it is carefully monitored. The SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) will explain what support is currently in place and how effective it has been. Where further assessment is needed, the EHCP process ensures the right expertise and provision are put in place.

Requesting an EHCP Assessment

You can ask your local authority to carry out an assessment if you believe your child may need an EHCP.

A request can also be made by others who feel an assessment may be necessary, such as:

  • Doctors

  • Health visitors

  • Teachers

  • Nursery staff or childminders

  • Parents, carers, or family friends

If the local authority agrees to carry out an assessment, they may ask for:

  • Reports from your child’s school, nursery, or childminder

  • Professional assessments (e.g. Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy)

  • Medical assessments or reports from doctors

  • A letter from you outlining your child’s needs

The local authority will then confirm, within the statutory time frame, whether an EHCP will be issued for your child.

Further Information

For full details of the Wiltshire Local Authority pathway and guidance on requesting an EHCP, please visit:
Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments – Wiltshire Local Offer