In May, the Government implemented temporary law changes regarding Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Department for Education have now announced that from August 2020, all EHCP support will be back in full. This will be a welcome reintroduction for many families who are worried about their children returning to school and what support they will receive.
The guidance has since been amended to state the following:
“On 2 July, the Secretary of State confirmed that it is our plan that all children and young people, including those with EHC plans, will return to education settings full time from the beginning of the autumn term. We are committed to ensuring that children and young people can receive the support they need to return to school or college. As such, unless the evidence changes, we will not be issuing further national notices to modify section 42 of the 2014 Act, but will consider whether any such flexibilities may be required locally to respond to outbreaks.
Once the notice expires or is cancelled, local authorities and health commissioning bodies would in all cases need to secure or arrange the full range of provision, as specified in the EHC plan.”
However, it is worth highlighting that if a particular area does return to a lockdown situation, the ‘easements’ to the ECHP support may be reintroduced.
