EHCPs are more than a legal document or list of support requirements for a young person with SEN; they should be a guide to helping them reach their goals and aspirations. 

With technological developments supporting professionals to organise their information, draft content and manage workflows, it’s clear that many have turned to digital or AI solutions to manage writing their EHCPs. And while technology can be used carefully to add speed and efficiency to working processes, creating a plan to reflect the real life and experiences of a young person needs human insight to reach its full value.  

Nuance, context and conflicts 

An EHCP doesn’t start as a structured overview of a young person’s life with clear, actionable accommodations, but a long list of varied reports from professionals across education, health and social care, from families and the young people themselves. Being able to distil the key information from such complex reports is only the first step. 

A skilled writer can do more than just bring key information together in a set format – they're able to understand the person behind the words, to gauge the emotional impact of certain needs, the importance of strengths, and the priorities of different contributors.  

Making sense of conflicts and contradictions 

Equally, writers can identify more subtle conflicts or differences within information that require judgement, and approach issues or contradictions with recognition of the whole picture.  

One of the most valuable skills of a good EHCP writer is being able to navigate the complexity of a person's experience. A singular report could say a young person is highly verbal, whereas another may report selective mutism, stammering or difficulty with communication.  A closer, thoughtful review of this information may provide important context about the different coping strategies that have developed in different environments. Rather than seeing this as an indication that the information is incorrect or algorithmically choosing between two pieces of information, a skilled writer can explore what both accounts tell us about the young person. 

Being capable of understanding this distinction can entirely change the way a person's needs are described, and ultimately the support they receive through the plan.  

Treating aspirations as a priority  

EHCPs provide a detailed overview of a young person’s life; of their strengths, their needs, and the support they need. However, this overview’s primary purpose is to inform plans to support them into the future they want.  

Of course, the plan will detail the support they need with health needs or their education, but the individual aspirations of the young person are as individual as they are. They may want to find a job or study, or they may want to learn specific talents, make friends, and become confident in themselves. By understanding the individuality of wants and aspirations, a writer can ensure their EHCP doesn’t enforce unnecessary limits on what a young person can achieve, through understanding the social and emotional importance of personal achievement.  

Seeing the person behind the plan  

Behind each report is a young person who needs support, and being a part of that process requires care, empathy and understanding. Skilled EHCP writers understand the difference between describing a need and defining someone by that need. They can see the young person as an individual, not just a data set, using their own human experience to connect, identify new suggestions or find potential missing information.  

This thought and care helps them accurately capture the essence of the young person and communicate their support needs with dignity and respect.  

Ethical technology usage 

Technology does have a place in the EHCP process. Digital tools are endlessly valuable to manage data, automate workflows, ensure safe information transfers and support day-to-day administrative tasks more efficiently. When used alongside human expertise and insight, thoughtful application of new platforms can prove useful by freeing up time for case officers to be able to focus on what they do best.  

Telling the whole story  

The best EHCPs do more than list needs. They tell a coherent story about a young person: where they are now, what they can do, what they find difficult, what matters to them and where they want to go next. Creating that story requires accuracy,  but also curiosity, empathy, judgement and the ability to see beyond individual pieces of information. Technology will continue to develop and have an important role to play in supporting the people working in SEN across the board, but where a document holds such importance to the life of a person, it should also be created by people.