If the panel of SEND specialists, head teachers, social care professionals, and health professionals agree that an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is right for your child, they will provide a first draft of the plan, with all the reports collected during the assessment.

At this point (Week 16), there is a four-week period where we take views from the parent or carer, and the school or setting, before finalising the EHCP by week 20.

You will have 15 days from the date the draft EHCP is sent to comment on it.  In some instances, an extension to the 15 days may be agreed, for example: you need to wait for professional advice – these requests should be made to the SEND team at Dorset Council as soon as possible.

Your thoughts can either be recorded during a scheduled meeting, or in writing by replying to the SEND lead at the council who provided the draft plan. 

The school or setting, including a preferred setting, will then also be consulted. They should respond within 15 days to share:

  • your child or young person's needs
  • the support set out in the draft EHCP
  • that you have asked for them to be named as your child’s school or setting in the EHCP
  • any objections they may have with the plan

All of this will be considered before the EHCP is finalised. 

What is the process and timescales for an EHCP?

  1. Ideally, agree with the SENDCo and setting that an EHCP is required, so they can help with the next stage and provide information on what has already been tried.
  2. Request an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment, sometimes called an EHCNA – in terms of timescales, the submission of the request is WEEK-1.
  3. Before the end of WEEK-6, you will be informed of the outcome of your request, which will lead to one of two outcomes:
    1. The request for an EHC Needs Assessment is approved, and we will gather information from various people, including you and the child or young person
    2. We will show ways that the school, college or other setting can meet the needs of your child or young person without an EHC Needs Assessment.
  4. If approved, the EHC Needs Assessment takes place, and before the end of WEEK-16, you will be informed of one of two outcomes:
    1. An EHCP is being drafted
    2. We will show ways that the school, college or setting can meet the needs of the child or young person without an EHCP.
  5. If an EHCP is drafted, you will receive this by WEEK-16 and have 15 calendar days to check through the draft and tell us any concerns or requests for changes, or to request a meeting.
  6. By WEEK-20, the EHCP should be finalised – this is then reviewed appropriately moving forwards.

What am I supposed to check in the plan? 

There are various things to check. Most importantly is the outcomes for your child or young person. You can suggest changes or additions to any part of the draft EHCP at this meeting. You can also state a preference for a specific school or other setting, or specific type of school or setting, you want your child or young person to attend. This could be a mainstream or special school. The schools or settings are then consulted with. This will all be considered before this first version of the draft is finalised (EHCP’s evolve and adapt to continue to meet the needs of your child, so it is likely that there will be other versions of the EHCP in the future. This is covered in more detail in Step 6: reviewing an EHCP).

For more information, please take a look at our guide of how to check a draft EHCP.