Criteria for Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment or Plan
An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document which outlines a child or young person’s special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the support they need and the outcomes they would like to achieve.
Most children and young people with SEND will have their needs met by mainstream settings (and will use the Graduated Approach) For some children and young people, an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) may be necessary to identify whether they need support that is additional to that which is ordinarily available and which may need to be provided in accordance with an EHCP.
The requirement for an EHCNA is likely to be triggered when it becomes clear that the special educational provision required to meet a child or young person’s needs can no longer be reasonably met within the resources or support normally available to early years providers, schools, post-16 providers and colleges.