This guide covers England. The system is different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. EHCP is the everyday shorthand for an EHC plan, so the two mean the same thing.
What an EHC plan actually is
An Education, Health and Care plan is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through ordinary special educational needs support. It identifies a child's educational, health and social care needs, and sets out the additional support to meet them. The important word is legal: once a plan is in place, the local authority has a duty to make sure the special educational provision in it is delivered.
That is the difference that matters. SEN support is the extra help a school arranges from its own resources, such as a small group, extra help from a teaching assistant, or speech therapy. An EHC plan is a formal document with legal weight behind it, for children whose needs are more complex than SEN support alone can meet.
Start with the school
If you think your child may have special educational needs, the first person to talk to is the SEN co-ordinator, usually called the SENCO, at your child's school or nursery. If your child is not in a school or nursery, contact your local council. Much can be put in place through SEN support without a plan at all, and a good conversation with the SENCO is often where things begin.
You do not have to wait for the school to act, though. If you believe your child needs more than SEN support can give, you can ask the local authority to assess.
How to ask for an EHC needs assessment
An EHC plan starts with an EHC needs assessment. You can ask your local authority to carry one out if you think your child needs a plan. A young person aged 16 to 25 can request an assessment for themselves. A request can also come from anyone else who thinks one may be necessary, including doctors, health visitors, teachers, and family friends.
You do not need a particular form of words, and you do not need a diagnosis first. A clear written request to the local authority, explaining why you think an assessment is needed, is enough to start the process.
The local authority must tell you within 16 weeks whether it is going to make an EHC plan for your child.
If it goes ahead, the whole process, from the date of your request to a final EHC plan, should normally take no more than 20 weeks. When a draft plan is sent to you, you have at least 15 days to comment, including if you want to ask for a particular school or specialist setting.
What the assessment looks at
If the local authority decides to assess, it gathers information about your child from the people who know them. You may be asked for things such as:
- Reports from your child's school, nursery or childminder
- Assessments from doctors or other health professionals
- A letter from you, in your own words, about your child's needs
This is the point where your own account carries real weight. Nobody sees the whole picture of a child the way a parent does, so the letter you write matters.
What happens if a plan is agreed
If the local authority decides to issue a plan, it writes a draft and sends you a copy. You then have your time to comment, and to ask for the school or college you want named in it. After that, the authority issues the final EHC plan. A plan can also come with a personal budget, which gives you a say in how some of the support money is spent, through direct payments, an arrangement held by the authority or school, or a third party who manages it for you.
What if the answer is no
A refusal is not the end of the road. You can challenge a local authority decision to refuse an assessment, a decision not to issue a plan, the special educational support written into a plan, or the school named in it. If you cannot resolve it directly, you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal. We cover a refusal to assess in detail in a separate guide.
The people on the other side of this process do it every day. They know the terminology, the forms and the deadlines. Most parents are learning all of it for the first time, at exactly the point when they are most stretched. That imbalance is the whole reason this site exists.
AI is unusually good at helping a person work through large amounts of language and information. Used carefully, it can help you understand what you are being asked for, and put your own knowledge of your child into clear words. It does not replace the SENCO, an adviser or a professional, and it should not try to.
What AI could help with
- Explain unfamiliar terms and abbreviations before a meeting
- Turn your notes about your child into a clear, structured letter of request
- Pull together the needs mentioned across several reports
- List the questions to ask the SENCO or the local authority
- Summarise a long draft plan into plain English so you can check it
- Help you organise the evidence you already have
Do not ask AI to decide whether your child legally qualifies for a plan, and do not assume a timescale, legal test or quotation it produces is correct. It can invent them, and sound completely sure while doing it. Use AI to understand and organise your own information. Use official guidance and qualified people for the legal position, and always check the current GOV.UK pages for the real timescales.
A better way to prompt it
Now the technology is doing what it is genuinely good at: helping you get your own information into shape. You are still the one who knows your child, and you are still making the decisions.
Where to get proper help
- Your child's SENCO, as a first conversation
- Your local SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)
- IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice), for free legally-based advice
- Your local authority's Local Offer, which lists services in your area
- EHCP Expert, a step-by-step tool to help guide you through the EHCP process
Sources, checked 16 September 2026
- GOV.UK: Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) (who to talk to, types of support)
- GOV.UK: Special educational needs support (what SEN support can include)
- GOV.UK: Extra help (requesting an assessment, 16-week and 20-week timescales, 15 days to comment, appeals, personal budgets)
This guide is general information for England, not legal or individual SEND advice. The process and timescales can depend on your child's circumstances and can change. Check the current official guidance and get advice for your own situation.
Common questions
Who can ask for an EHC needs assessment?
You can ask your local authority. A young person aged 16 to 25 can request one themselves, and others such as doctors, health visitors and teachers can also request one if they think it may be necessary.
How long does the process take?
The local authority must tell you within 16 weeks whether it will make a plan. If it goes ahead, the whole process up to a final plan should normally take no more than 20 weeks from the request.
What is the difference between SEN support and an EHC plan?
SEN support is the extra help a school or college puts in place itself. An EHC plan is a legal document for children and young people up to age 25 whose needs are more complex than SEN support alone can meet.
What if the local authority says no?
You can challenge a refusal to assess, a refusal to issue a plan, the support in a plan or the school named, and appeal to the SEND Tribunal. Free help is available from IPSEA and your local SENDIASS.