EHCP
Also called Education, Health and Care plan. That is the name used in diagnostic manuals and on most official paperwork.
A legal document, used in England, that sets out a child's needs and the support they must get. It is for children who need more help than their school can give on its own.
Applies in England
An EHCP is a plan written and maintained by your local authority. It describes what your child needs, what support will be provided, and where. Unlike an ordinary school support plan, the education support in an EHCP is legally binding: the local authority has to arrange it.
GOV.UK describes an EHC plan as being "for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs SEND SEND is England's word for children who need extra help to learn. The rest of the UK uses other words, and other rules. Read the full definition of SEND support". Your child does not need a diagnosis to get one. The decision is about whether their needs are greater than the school can meet from its own resources.
EHCPs exist in England only. If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, your nation has its own plan, and asking for an EHCP will not get you anywhere. The equivalents are listed below.
You can be involved at every stage. If you disagree with what the plan says, or with a refusal to make one, there is a right of appeal Appeal A formal challenge to the SEND Tribunal about a council's EHC decision. It is free to bring, and you do not need a lawyer. Read the full definition of Appeal , and free advice services can help you use it.
Across the UK
- Individual Development Plan (IDP) : Wales runs an Additional Learning Needs (ALN) system under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018. A child identified as having ALN gets a legal plan called an IDP. Unlike an EHCP, an IDP is not reserved for the most complex needs.
- Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) : Scotland uses the Additional Support for Learning framework under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. A CSP is the statutory plan, used where a child needs significant support from education plus at least one other agency such as health or social work. Most supported children in Scotland do not have a CSP.
- Statement of Special Educational Needs : In Northern Ireland the Education Authority carries out a statutory assessment and may then write a statement, which "sets out your child's needs and the help they should have".
Related words
Where this comes from
- Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND): Extra help , GOV.UK. Checked 2026-08-09.
- SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years , GOV.UK / Department for Education. Checked 2026-08-09.
- A guide for parents about rights under the additional learning needs (ALN) system , Welsh Government (GOV.WALES). Checked 2026-08-09.
- Education is changing: additional learning needs , Welsh Government (GOV.WALES). Checked 2026-08-09.
- How support is planned , Enquire (funded by the Scottish Government, managed by Children in Scotland). Checked 2026-08-09.
- Additional support for learning , Scottish Government (gov.scot). Checked 2026-08-09.
- Special educational needs: statements , nidirect (Northern Ireland Government). Checked 2026-08-09.
Your child doesn't need a diagnosis to get support
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