An EHCP is about a young person’s specific educational, health, and social care needs. It outlines what support is necessary for them in their education or training setting so that they can:

• Manage well day to day
• Achieve their set goals.

EHCPs are issued by local authorities and are legally binding.

You must be aged 16 – 25 and one of the following:

• School students
• Learners at Colleges
• Apprentices
• University students .

You must have support needs that are over above those that your education or employment provider would usually meet. These are called ‘reasonable adjustments’.

You need to have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Assessment. This is done by your Local Authority (LA).

You must make an application for an assessment in writing to your LA. This can be done at any time. The earlier the application the better as it takes time.

The application must  be from you, but you can ask for advice and help from an advocate. This could be:

• your parents / carers
• your education, employment or training provider
• your clinical team or Neuromuscular Care Adviser
• your LA

Your request for an assessment needs to explain how your  SMA affects you day to day.  For example how it impacts:

• Your mobility – any equipment you use
• Your fine motor skills e.g. holding a pencil, managing a mouse, doing up your coat
• Your energy and fatigue levels
• Your breathing – any equipment  and support needs
• Your eating – any equipment and support needs
• Accessing the environment e.g. going to the loo – any equipment & support needs.

You should describe:

• any extra support you have had from education, health or social care services
• what you want to achieve. This may be about reaching a particular educational or training level. It may include other goals such as gaining more independence.
• why you feel you need more help than your education or training setting can provide.

If the LA agrees to assess you, they gather information about your needs from those who know and support you. This will include:

• you
• your education, employment or training provider
• health and medical teams that support you
• social care services
• any others whose views may be important

If your EHCP is ready when you are enrolling, your learning provider should  ensure that they can meet your needs.

At any time after this your learning provider should make every effort to meet the needs described in your EHCP targets.

Your local authority must review your EHC plan at least once a year. This is to see how you are getting on and if you are getting enough support to meet your needs.

You will take part in a meeting with your education or training provider. Someone will be there from the LA as well as other people who know you and are involved in your support. This will include, for example, your Teaching Assistant, Skills Trainer or Assessor .

At the annual review of the EHCP,  you and the people at the meeting  will talk about how well the EHCP has worked. You will discuss if anything needs to change. Does your support need to stay the same, reduce or increase? And why is this.

Your EHCP may be changed but will remain in place until:

• You leave education or training
• You turn 26
• The local authority decides that you no longer need the plan to support you