Is your child`s educational journey supported? An overview of Education, Health and Care Plans.

Is your child`s educational journey supported? An overview of Education, Health and Care Plans.

Education, Health and Care Pathway is a legal document which describes a child or young person’s aged up to 25 special educational needs, the support they need, and the results they would like to achieve. Special educational needs and disabilities can affect a child or young person’s ability to learn, for example, it might affect their reading and writing, ability to understand things, concentration levels, ability to socialize, or physical ability to do things such as writing.

Educational attainment is one of the main markers for wellbeing through the life course and so it is important that no child is left behind at the beginning of their school life[1]. Sadly, children with special educational needs and disabilities are much more likely to be excluded from school than their peers. It is important to emphasize that they cannot be excluded if their needs are not being met at that educational setting[2]. Sadly, there is data that a significant number of schools across London are engaging in poor admissions practice to informally exclude pupils from even starting at their school, thus not fostering an inclusive culture.[3] As well as this, too many parents face difficulty and delay in accessing support for their child. [4]

According to the SEND Inclusive Framework strategy report published in 2015, The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE) inclusion rate shows the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is in the top 30 local authorities in the country. The school population of Barking and Dagenham continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country – twice the rate of London and four times the national. Also, there are more babies per head of population in Barking and Dagenham than in any other local authority in Britain. Sadly, Barking and Dagenham is a borough facing the significant challenges posed by a child population growing in both need and complexity, aggravated by an increasingly challenging financial landscape. [5]

EHC plan can give a child or young person extra educational support and it can also give parents and young people more choice about which school or other setting the child or young person can attend. It is worth noting, that An EHC plan can only be issued after a child or young person has gone through the process of an Education, Health and Care needs assessment.[6] However, in 2021 during the pandemic, 68% of parents reported that their child’s needs were ‘not met at all’ or only ‘somewhat met’ in accordance with their EHCP. Moreover, parent and carers are subsequently unsatisfied with the difficulties and delays they face in ensuring support for their child. It is important to note that excellent early years` provision can play a key role by identifying needs early and putting the right support in place so that children can progress. [7]