An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is a legal document for an individual child or young person aged 0-25 years with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which sets out a description of their educational, health and social care needs and the provision that must be implemented in order to help them achieve key life outcomes. It also includes information about the child or young person’s aspirations, and for those in Year 9 or above, information about preparation for adulthood.
EHCPs bring together practitioners from different agencies to contribute to a single assessment and plan for the child or young person. In Leeds, the Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment.
The majority of children and young people with SEND can have their needs met within their local mainstream school, early years setting, college or training provider through the setting’s existing resources without the need for an EHCP.
We want to work with you to provide the best service possible. If you are unhappy with anything relating to your child's education health and care plan (EHCP) application, assessment or plan, please contact us directly.
- Email: sensap@leeds.gov.uk
- Phone: 0113 376 0062
***Important Information***
Please note: The SEND Code of Practice states that Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessments should be completed within 20 weeks. Whilst the council has invested additional resources and is finalising more plans than ever, due to a range of factors EHC plans are not currently being issued within the expected timescales. As of September 2025 the average length of time taken is 54 weeks.
We know that this will be a worrying time for some families and there is a range of support available to you from multi-agency health, education and Local Authority services.
The following resources are also available to offer support to children and families, with or without an EHC plan.
You can visit the Leeds SEND Local Offer, which is a dedicated resource for children and young people with SEND aged 0 to 25, their families, and professionals. It includes:
- support available in schools and early years settings
- local services and activities
- information about education, health, social care, transport, and leisure
- advice for parents and carers
You can contact Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS) Leeds for free, confidential and impartial advice.
There is also a one-stop information resource to support all neurodivergent children, young people and families in Leeds both with and without a formal diagnosis.
The Council is improving our EHCP processes and regularly updating our SEND and Inclusion Transformation page to keep you informed of our progress. You can read more about these changes on the SEND and Inclusion Transformation page.