Increase in requests for education and health care plans in Hertfordshire

Education, health and care plans – or EHCPs – are used to identify the education, health and social care needs of children and young people.

And they are used to set out the additional support – often in schools or education facilities – that may be needed to meet those needs.

Data reported to the latest meeting of the special cabinet meeting on Wednesday (June 3) shows that last year (2019/20) there were 1,678 requests for EHCPs.

That’s 20 per cent higher than the 1,394 requests made in 2018/19. And, according to the report to the panel, it follows a 10 per cent increase in requests between 2017/18 ad 2018/19.

Meanwhile the data also shows that the number of ECHPs completed over the past 12 months (2019/20) has increased too.

In 2019/20 the data shows 1165 EHCPs were completed, which is 25 per cent higher than the 929 completed in 2018/19.

And, says the report, this follows an 8.7 per cent increase in the number of completed EHCPs between 2017/18 and 2018/19.

“The council continues to see year on year increase in the number of young people aged 0-25 through an EHCP,” says the report.

Requests for an EHCP can be made by a parent, doctor, health visitor, teacher or a young person, aged between 16 and 25.

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