When an EHC plan is no longer needed
An Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan stops when it is no longer needed. This means the child or young person no longer needs the additional support written in the plan.
For young people aged 19 or older, this might happen if they leave education and no longer need the support in their plan. But the local authority must check if the goals in the plan have been met before stopping it. We cannot stop the plan just because the young person is 19 or older.
An EHC plan will also stop if the young person goes to university. Or after their 25th year if they still have a plan at this point.
Using the annual review process
The decision to stop an EHC plan is made during the Annual Review. The local authority will tell the family if they are thinking about stopping the plan. We must consult with the parent or young person before making a final decision. If we decide to stop the plan, we will send a letter to let you know.
Steps to be taken
If the local authority is thinking about stopping an EHC plan, we must:
- Tell the parent or young person and ask what they think
- Talk to the school or college named in the plan
- If we then decide to stop the plan, we must tell the parent or young person and the school or college our decision
- We must also tell you about your right to appeal the decision
Returning to education later
Where a young person previously had an EHC plan and this was ceased, they may be considering a return to education. This can sometimes happen due to taking some time out of education or it could be due to a decision to undertake further studies to support their future aspirations.
Once an EHC plan has been ceased, it cannot be reinstated. It might be that an EHC plan is not needed in order to receive sufficient support within education, seeking advice about engaging in post-16 education is always advised.
If it’s decided that an EHC plan might be the best option, then a full assessment will be carried out.