Newcastle City Council:
Guidelines for Completing the
Education, Health and Care
(EHC) Plan
September 2014
Timescales for completing sections of the EHCP:
1. PERSONAL DETAILS
Initial information will be provided within the request for Education, Health and Care
needs assessment form and during the introductory meeting. This section to be
completed with as much detail as is available prior to the Coordinated Assessment
Meeting (CAM).
2. SECTION A
This information will gathered during the Introductory Meeting by the EHCP
Coordinator. It will be shared with all those invited to the CAM prior to the meeting.
3. SECTION B to D
The information gathered during the CAM should be used to start to complete these
sections. Section B to D will be completed by the SEN Case Worker (EHCP
Coordinator) following the submission of all assessment advice. This will enable the
multi-agency SEND Panel Meeting to consider resource allocation.
4. SECTION E to H & J
Sections E to H and J will be completed by the SEN Case Worker (EHCP
Coordinator) during the Planning Meeting. Further discussions around the nature of
the support and provision can also take place outside of the Planning Meeting if
necessary or appropriate.
5. SECTION I
This section is only completed in the Final EHCP following formal consultation with
parents/carers/young people and educational setting
6. SECTION K
The information/advice gathered during the EHC Assessment should be used to
complete this section. The EHCP Coordinator will ensure this is completed following
the submission of all assessment advice.
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Completing the form:
7. PERSONAL DETAILS:
Please complete all parts apart from the ‘Educational Placement named in this EHC
Plan’. This will need to be added in the Final EHC Plan issued.
Legal Status to be completed where relevant, for example:
 if a child or young person is subject to a care order or Accommodated by a Local
Authority (if so, by which Local Authority)
 any specific immigration status
UPN is required for all children and can be found on the LA database.
Care First and NHS numbers should be provided where there is specific social care
or health needs. Care First number can be found on the LA database and NHS
numbers should be provided by parents/carers/young people or health professionals.
Any other relevant information could include the following examples:
 Details of family circumstances
 Siblings with significant needs which may be relevant
 Details of foster carers
 Required interpreting services
 Any other adaptations including Font Size
8. SECTION A:
The SEN Case Worker (EHCP Coordinator) must ensure that the information in this
section fully incorporates the views of the child or young person themselves and
parents or carers. The SEN Case Worker (EHCP Coordinator) must specify which
views being represented are those of the child or young person themselves and
which are the views of the parents or carers.
8.1. My Profile
A child or young person could contribute information towards ‘My Profile’ within this
section in a variety of formats, separately from the Introductory Meeting, if they
choose to. An advocate may be helpful in this process.
A person centred approach is essential to gathering the information required.
The child/young person or his/her parents or carers can provide a photograph to be
used within this section. If a photograph is not provided then remove this box.
Details about play, health, schooling, independence, friendships, further education
and future plans, including employment (where practical) should all be included in
My Profile.
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‘What’s important to me now….’ should include a summary of how to communicate
with the child or young person and engage them in decision making.
8.2. My Background
‘My Story’ should include:
 significant events in the child or young person’s history, including dates
 any diagnoses
 learning history
 after school clubs or community activities
‘My Family’s Story’ should include:
 any specific health/medical/ social/economic needs of other family members that
impact on the child or young person
 who is important to the child or young person, including wider family members
and/or significant others
 relevant community issues / involvement
 relevant housing issues
My current support should include, for example:
 what has been accessed in the past, currently or due to take place in the future
 current involvement and additional resources of services from education, health,
social care and voluntary organisations / charitable trusts
 current support networks accessed through the local offer
 current additional and/or specialist support within an educational setting
 current additional specialist services within social care, including individual
budgets
 current access to health provision, including continuing care arrangements
9. SECTION B:
All of the child or young persons identified special educational needs must be
included in this section. Challenging behaviour issues can be described in any of the
descriptions in this section if it is evidenced in that area of difficulty.
9.1. Cognition and learning should include, for example:
 approach and response to learning situations and/or settings
 attention and concentration skills
 cognitive ability, include working memory, verbal and non-verbal ability
 attainment levels
9.2. Communication and interaction should include, for example:
 preferred method of communication
 receptive and expressive language skills
 spoken language skills
 communication aids
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9.3. Social, emotional and mental health should include, for example:
 the impact of any diagnosis on social, emotional or behavioural development
 peer and adult relationships
 family relationships
 behavioural issues and ability to follow usual daily expectations at home or within
an educational setting
 self-esteem and confidence
 personal and/or cultural identity
9.4. Sensory and physical needs should include, for example:
 the impact of any diagnosis on development and access to education
 any involvement with specialist health professionals
 mobility
 aids, adaptations, equipment and technical dependency
 hearing and vision
 environmental factors
10. SECTION C:
All of the child or young persons identified health needs which are related to the
child’s SEN must be included in this section. There may be some overlap with
information recorded in Section B.
The CCG may also choose to specify other health care needs which are not related
to the child or young person’s SEN (e.g. a long term condition such as cancer or
diabetes).
11. SECTION D:
All of the child or young persons identified social care needs related to their SEN or
which require provision for a child or young person under 18 under section 2 of the
Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 must be included in this section.
The LA may also choose to specify other social care needs which are not linked to
the child or young person’s SEN. This could include reference to any child in need
or child protection plan which a child may have relating to other family issues such
as neglect. Such an approach could help the child and their parents manage the
different plans and bring greater coordination of services. Inclusion must only be
with the consent of the child and their parents.
11.1. Family and community life should include, for example:
 identity within the family environment
 identity within the local community
 family support networks
 out of school, including evening and weekend activities or clubs
 holidays and short breaks
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 early intervention and ‘get connected’ programmes
 cultural identity and belief systems
11.2. Preparing for adulthood should include, for example:
 the impact of any diagnosis on functional ability in relation to skills for daily living
(including dressing, self care & toileting, cooking, feeding, money/budget
management, travel)
 aspiration for the future, including housing/independent living; further education,
training and employment (paid/voluntary); relationships and community life
 self esteem
 safety and awareness of danger
 vulnerability in the community or educational setting
12. SECTION E:
An outcome is something that a child is able to do that he/she could not do before.
The outcomes sought for the child must be included in this section. This will include
a range of outcomes over varying timescales, covering education, health and care as
appropriate. There should be a clear distinction between outcomes and provision
and the provision should help the child or young person achieve an outcome (it is not
an outcome in itself). Steps should be identified towards meeting the outcomes.
12.1. Outcomes should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and
Timed):
 Specific: what do we want to achieve and which aspects of the child’s
development can be influenced
 Measurable: what measure will be used to know if the outcome has been
achieved
 Achievable: areas of the child’s life and which dimensions of development are
amenable to change
 Realistic: what realistically can be achieved within the specified time frame
 Timed: outcomes can be short or long term depending on how complex they are
Outcomes achieved in one area of development could have an impact on other
areas of achievement.
Rather than fitting a child into services, our goal is to provide services that
best meet the presenting needs of a child and his/her family. The services are
the activities offered in order to meet a child’s needs and so achieve desired
outcomes.
12.2. Provision should be:
 detailed and specific and should normally be quantified, for example, in terms of
the type of support and who will provide it
 it must be clear how the provision will support the outcomes
 in some cases, flexibility will be required to meet the changing needs of the child
or young person
 the plan should specify
o any appropriate facilities and equipment, staffing arrangements and
curriculum
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o any appropriate modifications to the application of the National Curriculum
o any appropriate exclusions from the application of the National Curriuclum, in
detail, and the provision which it is proposed to substitute for any such
exclusions in order to maintain a balanced and broadly based curriculum
o the arrangements for provision to be met in a residential setting
o the arrangements for setting shorter term targets and monitoring progress
o consideration of transition arrangements, such as changing schools, or
moving on from further education to adulthood
12.3. Long Term Aims and Short Term Outcomes:
 Long term aims should be an aim for more than 1 year in the future.
 Short term outcomes could cover a range of timescales of no more than 1 year
in the future.
 There may not be a long term aim for every category of SEN but there may also
be more than 1 long term aim for any particular category
 There should be at least 1 short term outcome for every long term aim
12.4. Desired outcomes could include, for example:
 to achieve a functional level of literacy
 to achieve level 1c in reading
 to communicate using three key words
 to reach a two key word level of understanding
 to be able to use the toilet independently
 to be able to use a wheelchair independently
 to be able to use a specific item of kitchen equipment independently
 to be able to tell an adult when upset
 to be able to participate in a turn taking game
 to be able to travel from home to place of training independently
 to understand basic household budgeting
12.5. Review and Monitoring Arrangements
Section E should also set out the review and monitoring arrangements of the EHC
Plan.
The first review of the overall EHC Plan must be held within 12 months of the date of
issue of the plan. Additional reviews may take place outside of the EHC Plan for
specific areas of health or social care provision and financial arrangements. These
special arrangements should be identified within the plan. For example:
 Individual health arrangements may need to be included
 Individual arrangements for Looked After Children and children subject to Child
Protection Plans may need to be considered
 Individual budgets will be subject to regular reviews as described in the relevant
legislation and financial auditing processes within the specific areas of
education, health and social care
Professionals across education, health and care must cooperate with local
authorities during reviews. Review of the plan should include the review of any
personal budget arrangements for direct payments (as described in all Direct
Payments Legislation).
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Where a young person is aged 16+, local authorities must take their age into
account, whether agreed outcomes have been met and whether the young person
has been prepared and enabled to make a successful transition to adult life.
13. SECTION F, G & H:
A description of what is needed to achieve the outcomes should be recorded in
these sections.
13.1. What is needed to achieve the outcomes could include, for example:
 class size / reduced class size
 small group (adult:child ratio up to 1:6) teaching using a phonics based
programme
 access to specialist teacher(s) with expertise/knowledge in specific areas
 use of consistent language / routines / visual strategies / rewards, etc
 reading practice
 good peer role models
 follow a speech and language therapy programme; toileting programme; mobility
programme, social skills programme etc. Include the monitoring arrangements.
 access to therapists
 individual work with a personal assistant / SSA to develop cooking or budgeting
skills
 peer mentoring / role modelling
 type of short break provision
 type of outreach provision
 specific aids, adaptions and equipment
13.2. How often will this happen could include, for example:
 throughout the school day
 daily
 weekly
 fortnightly
 monthly
 termly
 annually
 within specific named lessons
 evenings
 weekends
 school holidays
 funding resource
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13.3. By whom could include, for example:
 teacher
 LSA / SSA / PA
 therapist
 child or young person
 parents / carers / family members
 family support worker
 social worker
 connexions
 training provider
 health professional
14. SECTION I:
These details must only be included in the final plan, not the draft plan sent to
parents. This is so the LA does not pre-empt consideration of any preference for an
institution which the parents or young person may state, or any representation the
parents or young person may make in favour of a non-maintained institution.
The plan should make clear whether the institution named is under the duty to admit
the child in clause 43 of the Children and Families Act 2014, or is another type of
institution admitting the child on a voluntary basis, for example a non-maintained
early years provider.
15. SECTION J:
This section will always record the education banding level. The rest of this section
will only be completed in cases where:
 parents / carers or young people over the age of 16 have requested an
education personal budget
 a family is eligible for a personal health budget
 a family is eligible for a social care personal budget
The support arrangements in this section should be clearly linked with the outcomes
and support arrangements detailed in sections E, F, G and H.
This section should set out the amount of personal budget being used to buy the
provision specified, as well as the way that these funds are to be managed.
16. SECTION K:
Please complete details of all parties or agencies that contributed to the EHC Plan.
16.1. Examples of ‘How did they contribute’ could be:
 Attendance at the Integrated Assessment Coordination Meeting
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

Provided written advice or information only
Telephone conversation
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