Ask for an education, health and care (EHC) assessment

What is an education, health and care (EHC) plan, who can ask for an education, health and care (EHC) assessment how the process works.

About education, health and care (EHC) plans

An education, health and care (EHC) plan is a legal document which says what a child or young person's special educational needs are and if they also have health and social care needs.

The EHC plan will also set out what help the child or young person needs and outcomes that will show their progress. 

Before you ask for an EHC plan, you need to ask for an EHC assessment. 

Before you ask for an EHC assessment

You should:

  1. get advice from your child’s nursery, playgroup, school or college
  2. look into support options at your child’s nursery, playgroup school or college
  3. check who can get an education, health and care (EHC) plan
  4. check what's in an EHC plan

Who can ask for an EHC assessment

You can ask for an EHC assessment if you are a:

  • parent of a child under 16 years of age who may need an EHC assessment
  • young person 16 to 25 years of age who may need the EHC assessment
  • young person under 19 year of age in youth custody, who may need the EHC assessment
  • school or college worker who thinks a child or a young person has special educational needs

Contact our SEN team if you’re a childcare worker, health worker, social care worker, foster carer or other practitioner who is believes that a child may have special educational needs.

Ask for an EHC assessment

You can’t ask for an assessment over the phone. Please write to us and give some examples of your child needs. Your child doesn’t need to have a diagnosis.

You can email our sen.team@brighton-hove.gov.uk or send a letter to SEN team, Hove Town Hall, 2nd Floor North, Norton Road, Hove BN3 3BQ.

What happens next

Our SEN team will get in touch with you. They will work with you to get more information from:

  • you, about your child's needs and what they want to achieve in their future
  • other people who may have information about your child, such as a childminder, nursery, school or college, health services, the educational psychology service and social care
  • anyone else mentioned when you asked for an EHC assessment

All of the information will then go to a SEN panel that decides if your child needs an EHC assessment.

When you’ll get a decision

We will let you know our decision within 6 weeks of you asking for an EHC assessment.

We have 20 weeks from when you asked for an EHC assessment to create and issue the final EHC plan.

Check what happens if the SEN panel decides that:

More information

Read our guide to education, health and care plans for parents and carers.

Get more information about EHC assessments and plans on the Amaze website.