EHCP development: milestones, challenges and quality focus

This year we celebrated two milestones: our 29th year of supporting Local Authorities (LAs) and writing our 200,000th EHCP! We welcomed new LA customers, continued supporting teams that we’ve worked with for many years, and drafted over 10,000 new and amended plans.

Whilst we’re proud of our longevity and support capacity, it’s never been just about the numbers. We focused a lot this year on EHCP quality and consistency, speaking openly about our concerns regarding the emergence of automation within EHCP writing. Rather than jumping on the AI bandwagon, we doubled down on the importance of a human-centred and expert-led approach to developing individualised plans for children and young people. You can read all about this commitment here: https://enhanceehc.co.uk/the-gold-standard-in-ehcp-writing/

At the same time, plans for reform and delays with the SEND White Paper have created a great deal of uncertainty around EHCPs. We reported on the mobilisation of campaigners ensuring that any change to the SEND system protects children’s legal rights, and we advocated for both better inclusion and keeping EHCPS in place.

SEND workforce training

Our online EHCP training courses continued to serve as a key resource for LA SEND teams, schools, practitioners and others involved in the EHCP process. This year we enrolled over 100 new learners onto various courses and packages. With the most popular option being the Fundamentals of Writing EHC Plans course, followed by the Bitesize Amending EHC Plans course, we’ve seen an ongoing need for introductory training for new staff as well as CPD to bridge skills gaps and improve quality and consistency across teams.

SEND insights and discussion

We got out and about again in 2025, attending the annual SEN Law Conference and exhibiting at the second SENDART conference (a day dedicated to LA SEND assessment and review teams in the Yorkshire and Humber area), which was a joint collaboration with Regional SEND, Leeds Trinity University and the University of Sheffield. We always find it so valuable to be in the room with SEND professionals and parents/carers alike, to talk through the challenges that teams face and hear directly from families and young people.

Sharing insights from events like these, as well as good practice and guidance, has always been a major element to what we do. This year we’ve been able to expand our reach through our partnership with the SEND Network. With EHCPs being a hot topic on the network, thousands of members resonated particularly with our posts discussing the future of EHCPs and providing insights into how to become an EHCP writer.

Charity involvement

Our chosen charity for 2025 was Place2Be, a leading UK charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of children and young people. Place2Be focuses on early intervention to prevent life-long mental health issues, by helping schools to understand and identify mental health problems and offering counselling services, support for parents and teachers, and a range of resources that help children build resilience, confidence and emotional stability. Click here to take a look at Place2Be’s website and consider making a donation to help a vulnerable child access mental health support.

We were also pleased to support Reed again with their annual charity collections, by donating some comforting Christmas gifts for residents at a local Farleigh Hospice.

Looking ahead

With changes on the horizon, we’re going into 2026 as committed as ever to helping SEND teams and practitioners to better support children and young people in their EHCP journeys.

Thank you to everyone who has worked with us, joined our training or engaged with our discussions over the year, and we wish you all a well-deserved restful break over the festive period!