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  2. Children and families
  3. SEND Local Offer
  4. SEND information for young people
  5. Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) for young people
  6. Education, health and care plan (EHCP) assessments for young people
  7. Your Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) journey

Your Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) journey

This guidance takes you through a timeline for our EHCP process. The whole process takes 20 weeks.

You request an EHC needs assessment - week zero

An EHC needs assessment can be requested by a parent or carer, young person or a professional working with the young person. The request must be made to us at North Yorkshire Council. 

We consider the request - up to week six

Our SEND casework locality team will review the request and decide whether to progress to a statutory EHC needs assessment. 

If we decide not to progress to a statutory assessment, we will notify you of the outcome and give you information about next steps including your right of appeal and what support is available. 

If we agree to progress, the statutory assessment process will begin.

Multi-agency assessment - weeks six to 14

We will gather advice from:

  • the education setting
  • educational psychology
  • health professionals
  • social care

In weeks 12 to 14, we will collate and prepare documents for the panel.

Panel decides if an EHCP is needed - weeks 14 to 16

The panel will review all the information and decide if an EHCP is needed. 

If the panel decides an EHCP is not needed, you will get information about next steps including your right of appeal and what support is available. 

If the panel decides an EHCP is needed, you will be informed of this outcome and the next steps.

Draft EHCP shared - weeks 16 to 18

We will send the draft EHCP to:

  • you and your child
  • education settings
  • any professionals who contributed during the assessment

Your chance to comment - 15 days

You have 15 days to:

  • suggest changes to the draft plan
  • confirm your preferred school or setting for consultation

Final EHCP issued - week 20

We will finalise the EHCP and confirm placement. We will also explain any next steps and any rights to appeal.


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The council provides services across North Yorkshire including Harrogate, Ripon, Scarborough, Whitby, Northallerton, Thirsk, Selby, Tadcaster, Malton, Pickering, Richmond, Skipton and more.

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