You told us
In 2022, families told us that the Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment process was confusing. People were unsure what would happen and when.
The problem
The Local Offer did not give a clear journey through the process. Information was spread across different pages and was hard to follow.
We listened
We created a set of pages that explain EHC plans from start to finish.
These pages now cover:
- what happens before an EHC plan is needed
- how the assessment works
- how plans are written
- how plans are reviewed and how they end
You can see these on our Education, Health and Care Plan pathway pages.
What happened next
Families then told us there were still gaps. Over time we have added extra information to:
- explain when a request is needed and what support is available before that
- give clearer guidance for how parent carers can request an Education Health and Care needs assessment
- explain what parent carers can do if support in an EHC plan is not being delivered
- explain what a phase transfer is and when reviews must happen for this
- explain what happens if you move into or out of Somerset
- give clearer guidance on when an EHC plan may stop
- share the average waiting times at each stage of the EHC plan process.
The Education Health and Care Plan Standards Group reviewed the advice given by professionals for EHC plans and decided the questions needed to change. The requests for information from health professionals have been improved. We are now working to make the Local Offer clearer about health needs. Find out more about the changes in the medical advice form.
What has the impact been
Since publishing the new pages in 2023, numbers of page views significantly increased. Professionals working with parents carers were telling us it is very helpful information.
But parent carers were finding some information too complex. We started working in 2025 to improve simplicity and navigation through the pages. So far we have updated the advice and support, and EHC needs assessment and EHC plans and annual review sections. We are still updating the disputes and resolution sections. Feedback so far is positive.
Data from January to May 2026 suggests the clearer pathway structure is helping people find the information they need. Users access a wide range of pages across the pathway, with particularly high use of pages covering requests for assessment, assessments and annual reviews. People are also arriving directly on the most relevant pages from search engines, the Citizen Portal and partner websites, making it easier to access guidance at key points in the EHC plan process.