A plain-English guide to the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) — now a dynamic, digitised legal contract for children and young people aged 0–25 whose needs exceed a standard school budget.
An EHCP is the “Gold Standard” of UK support: a legally binding document that mandates the Local Authority to provide specific funding and services. In 2026 it works alongside the digital Individual Support Plan (ISP) so that no child falls through the gaps while awaiting a full statutory assessment.
This guide walks through the 20-week assessment cycle — trigger, assessment, draft, and finalisation — and sets out the rights of parents and young people at each stage.
What an EHCP is, and how it differs from the digital ISP
