Idox has announced a new Mediation and Tribunal module within its EHC Hub platform, adding support for mediation and SEND tribunal processes. EHC Hub is designed to support families, schools, and local authorities through the Education, Health and Care Plan assessment process. The new module extends this by helping teams manage disputes linked to assessments, plan decisions, and plan content. As of January 2025, there were 638,700 children and young people with EHCPs in England, an increase of 10.8% compared with the previous year. This growth reflects increasing pressure on education, health, and care services, alongside ongoing financial challenges for local authorities. During 2024 across England: 154,500 requests for an EHC needs assessment were made 105,300 EHC needs assessments were carried out 97,700 new EHC plans were issued Around 68% of requests progressed to assessment, with the remainder refused, withdrawn, or still outstanding. Around 7% of completed assessments resulted in a decision not to issue a plan. SEND appeals have also continued to rise. In the 2023/24 academic year, 21,000 SEND appeals were registered, an increase of 55% on the previous year. Around 59% of appeals related to the content of a plan, while around 27% related to refusal to carry out an assessment. In 2024: 4,700 tribunals related to decisions not to conduct an assessment Of 10,500 mediations linked to refusal to assess, 1,500 progressed to tribunal Of 2,100 mediations related to decisions not to issue a plan after assessment, 500 went to tribunal Of 1,900 mediations related to plan content, 700 progressed to tribunal In total, around 11,000 outcomes were decided by tribunal, with 99% decided in favour of parents or young people. The new Mediation and Tribunal module brings together documentation, communication, and case tracking in one place. Features include a centralised document store, tools to support collaboration between families, schools, and local authorities, workflow tracking with reminders and status updates, and reporting to help teams monitor outcomes and trends. Jamie Rowell, Head of Product and Strategy for Social Care at Idox, said:“As the demand for SEND services continues to rise, Idox is focused on supporting families and professionals with tools that improve efficiency, transparency, and collaboration. “Requests for assessment are increasing year on year. There were 576,000 EHC plans in January 2024 and 638,700 in January 2025. SEND tribunals also increased by 55% in the 2023/24 academic year. These trends highlight growing demand and increasing legal challenge. “This module is intended to support local authorities so that more focus can be directed toward children and young people.” Learn more about the EHC Hub here.