Ombudsman criticises EHC plan shortcomings

A report by the ombudsman into the first 100 complaints it has received about children's EHC plans found that families were experiencing delays and a range of issues, including a failure to identify suitable school places and confusion within local authorities about what the law requires.

EHC plans were introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014 with the aim of providing better joined-up support for children with SEND from birth to 25 years. All children with existing SEN statements must be assessed and transferred from the old system on to new EHC plans by April 2018.

The ombudsman's report found that a failure to complete EHC plans within the expected 20-week timescale was the most common fault experienced by families, saying this was often due to poor planning by local authorities. Some children were found to have missed out on the start of the school year because of this, the report said.

Other problems included councils not always involving parents and young people in decisions, a failure to factor in transport and social care costs when deciding whether to accept a parent's preferred educational placement, and confusion among social workers about how information should be recorded in EHC plans.