What is an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)?

An EHCP is for children and young people (aged up to 25 years old) who have special educational needs and/or a disability, and who need a much higher level of resource than education settings can deliver on their own. In most cases, children and young people with special educational needs will be able to access the services they require through the Local Offer, and an EHCP will not be needed. Likewise, an EHCP will not be needed if a young person is studying for a higher education qualification, as funding is provided via a different route if required.

What does a good EHCP look like?

• Meets the requirements of the Act, Regulations and the Code.
• Describes positively what children and young people can do
• Clear, concise, understandable and accessible
• Is co-produced
• Sets good, relevant outcomes
• Tells the child or young person’s story well and coherently
• Prepares children and young people for independence

The difference between Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Children and young people who have special educational needs (SEN) do not necessarily have a disability, and some disabled young people do not have special educational needs. There is however a lot of overlap between the two groups.

What is preparation for adulthood

Preparation for adulthood focuses on the four life domains that are widely used to think about planning for an adult life in the community.

• Employment,
• Independent Living,
• Community Inclusion &
• Health

In working with young people these four areas should be at the forefront of all that we do.  They enable us to remember that children and young people with SEND have the same aspirations, needs and rights as all young people.  They help us to find out what a young person’s aspirations are and what is important to them now and in the future.  They help us to support children and young people and their families to plan for life outcomes.

In focusing on these areas, we should be seeking for young people to aspire, personalising our approach, developing a shared vision, improving post 16 options and support, planning services together.

The four areas can be used as steps towards outcomes to help achieve a realistic aspiration.  The DfE published a useful tool which can be used to support discussions and planning throughout a young person’s journey.  This outcomes tool can be found here.

Various people involved in a young person’s life can be supportive in exploring opportunities to develop skills to achieve outcomes in these four preparing for adulthood areas such as:

• Employment – Parents, School and College Staff, Careers Advisors, Job Coaches
• Independent Living – Parents, School and College Staff, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, PA’s
• Community Inclusion – Parents, School and College Staff, Social Workers, Club organisers, PA’s
• Health – Parents, School and College staff, School nurses, GP’s, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, paediatricians

Preparing for Adulthood Principles

Young people, their families and carers, and those supporting them all say similar things about what they want when thinking about the future and moving into adulthood:

• Independence and somewhere to live.
• Work and doing things that interest and satisfy you.
• Good health and well-being.
• Having friends and being part of your community.

In Staffordshire County Council's Preparation for Adulthood Protocol for children and young people up to the age of 25 who will or may need social care support as adults we describe how we will work together to achieve this for each young person in a coordinated, efficient and smooth way, following the principles below: -

1. Preparing for and moving into adulthood should be a positive process that assists in young people achieving their full potential;
2. It can also be challenging and a bit scary for all as young people develop independence and try new things, but this should not let us limit thinking and opportunities for young people as it is part of growing up;
3. In Staffordshire we will work as one Council and one system to provide a consistent preparing for adulthood experience for young people, their families and carers;
4. It will reflect the voice of the child, young person and, where appropriate, families/carers, so that we can develop their confidence and ability to articulate their wishes; ‘Nothing about me without me’;
5. Our offer will be clear and easily understood, using plain English, where this is their first language;
6. Our offer will build upon a strengths-based approach based on an assumption of independence;
7. We will promote realistic but aspirational expectations for our young people to deliver better outcomes, supporting positive risk taking in Adults where appropriate, while keeping young people safe and healthy;
8. Everything that we do will be in a timely manner;
9. Our system will support us to more effectively manage our demand by avoiding any unnecessary work or duplication;
10. While supporting young people we will make informed decisions that balance the cost now versus lifetime costs;
11. We should make the best use of the resources that we have;
12. Decisions will be evidence based with appropriate checks in place to ensure that we can demonstrate their effectiveness;
13. Through detailed individual conversations we will assist in setting realistic yet aspirational expectations that meet individual outcomes and statutory obligations.

Preparing for adulthood pathway – journey from birth to 25 years

‘Outcomes underpin and inform the detail of Education Health and Care Plans. Outcomes will usually set out what needs to be achieved by the end of a phase or stage of education in order to enable the child or young person to progress successfully to the next phase or stage.’(Code of Practice, 9.68)

From Year 9 onwards, all EHCP annual reviews should have a focus on Preparation for Adulthood.  Young people should be encouraged throughout the year to work to develop their skills to support them in preparing for adulthood and outcomes included in the EHCP should reflect the skills needed to achieve their aims and aspirations. 

Writing a good outcome can be difficult, please find below some useful resources to support in developing outcomes.

• ‘An outcome is the benefit or difference made to an individual as a result of an intervention’ SEND Code of Practice p 9.66

• We need to ask what achieving an outcome would do for the young person; what would it give them or make possible for them?

• We should all be using person-centred approaches which put children, young people and their families at the centre, acknowledging that everyone has the right to exercise their choice and control in directing their lives and support they may receive.

Outcomes in an Education Health and Care Plan should focus on achieving improvements to a young person’s learning and development.  Outcomes should link directly to achieving a benefit or difference to the barriers or needs that have been described in Sections B. Outcomes should enable children and young people to move towards the longer-term aspirations of employment, higher education, independent living and community participation. Outcomes should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound. Personalized to the individual need of the young person, they should be focused on aspiration and where possible be supporting them to be as independence in life as possible. We want our outcomes to raise aspirations and expectations whilst also encouraging our young people to thinks about the future and what this may look like for them.

Using the Outcome sandwich will enable outcomes to be SMART

Delivering outcomes in EHCP’s

Useful suggestions of example PFA outcomes:

• Master outcomes - preparation for adulthood outcome bank
• Suggested outcomes for learners on a supported internship

Remember the Golden Thread

There should be a golden thread directly from the aspirations in the one-page profile through to the provision - this is achieved by thinking about outcomes as steps on the journey towards the aspirations.

• Aspirations
• Needs
• Outcomes
• Provision

• Staffordshire Local Offer
• Preparation for Adulthood - holds a wealth or resources related to Preparing for Adulthood that are regularly updated.
• Preparing for adulthood - series of webinars | Staffordshire Connects (staffordshirecares.info) – Series of webinars aimed at parents, but useful to all, covering topics such as social care, travel training, Post 16 education options

Education/Employment

• Careers Guidance   Careers Advice | Staffordshire Connects 
• Explanations of Post 16 Education and Training Options  Post 16 options | Staffordshire Connects
• Employment Jobs for all ages | Staffordshire Connects

Independent Living

• Independent living for all ages | Staffordshire Connects

Community Inclusion

• Places to go, things to do for all ages | Staffordshire Connects

Health

• Health and wellness for all ages | Staffordshire Connects
• Learning Disability Register and Annual Health Checks | Staffordshire Connects

Legislation and Statutory Guidance

• Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014
• Part 1 of the Care Act 2014
• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014
• SEND Code of Practice 0-25 years 2014