Why the EHC Hub was introduced and benefits
Southend-on-Sea City Council introduced the EHC Hub in 2020 to:
- deliver its statutory duties to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in a timely, transparent and person centred way
- ensure that information gathered through Eucation Health and Care (EHC) assessments and annual reviews is shared consistently and transparently with children and young people with SEND and their families
- allow children, young, people and their families to share their views and aspirations, across services, so they have to tell their story once
- ensure that person centred outcomes are identified by key professionals working with the child or young person, across the area
Children, young people and their families are at the heart of the EHC process. Using the EHC Hub for assessments and reviews supports this.
We hope the experience of children and young people with SEND and their families improves as a result of professionals' ability to access detailed and accurate information about their needs and to co-produce good quality Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP's).
Benefits of the EHC Hub
- parent carers can:
- track their child or young person's assessment and see who has been asked to provide advice
- upload their comments and views, and photographs and video's as part of the EHC needs assessment or annual review process
- the child or young person can also contribute in this way. (Multiple videos can be attached but each one should be no longer than 3 minutes long)
- the child or young person's educational setting, and any professional working with them will register and contribute their views within the Hub. They can upload reports so that relevant, up to date information is shared with parent carers, the SEN Team and other professionals involved
- parent carers and anyone working with the child or young person has access to the same information, at the same time. This reduces the need for information to be repeated
- provides transparency about decisions. Information is clear and accessible to all involved in the assessment or review process
- those involved have access to decisions as soon as they are made