Frequently asked questions: EHC Plans and current improvements
Update issued: September 2026
We know that some children, young people and families are waiting too long for an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, and we are working to improve this.
We are temporarily increasing capacity within the SEND Assessment and Review (SENDAR) team to help reduce waiting times and complete plans more quickly. These measures will provide additional capacity at key stages of the assessment and planning process, while we continue to work on longer-term improvements to the way the service operates.
This is part of our wider work with partners to improve SEND services across Warwickshire, including providing earlier support for families and increasing access to specialist support in local schools.
Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about EHC plans and the steps we are taking to improve timeliness and reduce waiting times.
What is the council doing to reduce the current backlog of EHC plans?
The council is bringing in additional, temporary capacity to help address the current backlog and improve the timeliness of EHC plans.
An external provider is supporting the council with the drafting of an initial tranche of 400 plans. The council will continue to review demand and capacity, and may use additional temporary support if needed while permanent staff are recruited and trained.
To ensure quality and consistency, two additional agency staff are supporting the review and processing of plans, working with families and schools to take plans from draft through to final issue.
The council is also recruiting three additional EHC Plan Coordinators on two-year fixed-term contracts, increasing business support and redirecting existing resources to increase capacity within the SEND Assessment and Review (SENDAR) team.
The purpose is to help families receive their plans sooner, while maintaining appropriate oversight of the process.
Will families know if their child's plan is being written by an external provider?
Yes. Families will be given clear information if an external provider is supporting the drafting of their child’s EHC plan. They will continue to receive communication through the Council’s usual processes and remain fully involved in their child’s EHC needs assessment and plan.
External providers are being used to provide additional drafting capacity only. Warwickshire County Council remains responsible for all statutory decisions, communication with families, quality assurance and issuing the final EHC plan. External providers will not make decisions about whether to assess, whether to issue a plan, the provision required or the placement named.
Families will also be given clear information about how their information is being used and who to contact at the Council if they have any questions or concerns.
How will children's and families' information be kept secure?
Children’s and families’ information will be protected through the Council’s established data protection and information security arrangements. Any external provider must meet the Council’s security and confidentiality requirements before they can access information.
Providers will only have access to the minimum information needed to carry out their work, and access will be restricted to authorised staff. Clear contractual arrangements will also set out requirements for secure access, storage, retention and deletion of information, as well as how any data security incidents must be reported.
Warwickshire County Council remains responsible and accountable for protecting children’s and families’ personal information. External providers’ security arrangements must be approved through the Council’s information governance and procurement processes before any work begins.
How will the council make sure outsourced plans are of the right quality?
The Council will remain accountable for every plan that is issued. Using external providers to support drafting does not change Warwickshire’s responsibility for ensuring plans are accurate, person-centred and legally compliant.
Every externally drafted plan will therefore be reviewed by Warwickshire staff before it is finalised. This will include checking that professional advice, and the views of the child, young person and family are properly reflected, that provision is clearly specified and that statutory requirements have been met. Additional experienced agency staff are being recruited to strengthen these quality checks.
We will also monitor quality across the contract through sampling, levels of rework and recurring issues, taking action where concerns are identified. A plan will only be issued once Warwickshire is satisfied that it meets the required standard.
Does outsourcing change the 20-week EHC plan process?
No. Bringing in additional capacity does not change the statutory EHC needs assessment process or extend the relevant statutory timescales. The purpose of the additional capacity is to help the council improve timeliness.
Where the council decides to issue an EHC plan, the overall statutory process is normally expected to be completed within 20 weeks, subject to prescribed exceptions.
How will outsourcing affect the 20-week process, named coordinators and co-production?
It should not remove the named coordinator or the child- and family-facing elements of the process. The external support is intended to increase drafting capacity, not replace local case responsibility.
Warwickshire will retain control of the statutory timetable, professional decision-making, communication and final issue of the plan. Co-production should continue wherever it forms part of the agreed process.
The operational protocol makes clear who undertakes each step, how families are updated and how transfers between Council staff and the provider are managed without creating additional delay.
Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) going to be used to decide whether children receive support?
No. AI will not make decisions about EHC plans.
The council is exploring how technology could support administrative elements of the process, including reducing the time required to bring assessments and information together when preparing an EHC plan.
The SENDAR team is also taking part in a regional AI best-practice group and staff have access to Microsoft Copilot. This work is about supporting staff and improving efficiency, not replacing professional judgement or decision-making. Any use of AI must comply with the Council's data protection and information governance requirements.
What else is being done to reduce delays?
The outsourcing of plans is only one part of a wider recovery plan. Other immediate actions include:
- recruiting three additional EHC Plan Coordinators on two-year fixed-term contracts;
- increasing business support capacity to reduce delays in logging and issuing plans;
- redirecting resources to SENDAR to increase coordinator capacity; embedding changes developed through the service redesign into day-to-day working;
- increasing Educational Psychology capacity for statutory assessments, including limiting traded service activity and using additional locums and associates; and
- exploring appropriate use of technology to reduce administrative time involved in bringing information together for EHC plans.