The EHCP process, from initial concerns to annual review.
The complete EHCP graph including refusal, mediation, and tribunal branches. Click any node for guidance on that stage.
flowchart TD initial_concerns["1. Initial Concerns"] request_assessment["2. Request Assessment"] refused_assessment["2a. LA Refused to Assess"] mediation_assessment["2b. Mediation"] appeal_assessment["2c. Appeal to Tribunal"] assessment_decision["2+. LA Decision on Assessment"] assessment_underway["3. Assessment Underway"] refused_ehcp["3a. LA Refused to Issue EHCP"] mediation_ehcp["3b. Mediation"] appeal_ehcp["3c. Appeal to Tribunal"] draft_ehcp["4. Draft EHCP"] final_ehcp["5. Final EHCP Issued"] appeal_content["5a. Appealing EHCP Content"] mediation_content["5b. Mediation"] appeal_content_tribunal["5c. Appeal to Tribunal"] annual_review["6. Annual Review"] amending_plan["6d. LA Amending the Plan"] appeal_review["6a. Appealing Annual Review"] mediation_review["6b. Mediation"] appeal_review_tribunal["6c. Appeal to Tribunal"] review_maintained["6e. LA Keeping the Plan As It Is"] ceasing_plan["6f. LA Proposing to Cease the Plan"] appeal_cease["6g. Challenging the Decision to Cease"] mediation_cease["6h. Mediation"] appeal_cease_tribunal["6i. Appeal to Tribunal"] plan_ceased["C. EHC Plan Ceased"] appeal_amended_content["6j. Appealing the Amended Plan"] mediation_amended_content["6k. Mediation"] appeal_amended_content_tribunal["6l. Appeal to Tribunal"] appeal["T. SEND Tribunal Appeal"] initial_concerns -->|"Ready to request assessment"| request_assessment request_assessment -->|"Request sent — waiting to hear"| assessment_decision request_assessment -->|"LA agreed to assess"| assessment_underway request_assessment -->|"LA refused to assess"| refused_assessment refused_assessment -->|"Going to mediation"| mediation_assessment refused_assessment -->|"Appeal directly (mediation certificate still required)"| appeal_assessment refused_assessment -->|"LA agreed to assess — without mediation or tribunal"| assessment_underway mediation_assessment -->|"Resolved — LA will assess"| assessment_underway mediation_assessment -->|"Not resolved — proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_assessment appeal_assessment -->|"Won — LA must assess"| assessment_underway appeal_assessment -->|"Lost — consider next steps"| initial_concerns appeal_assessment -->|"LA conceded before tribunal"| assessment_underway assessment_decision -->|"LA agreed to assess"| assessment_underway assessment_decision -->|"LA refused to assess"| refused_assessment assessment_underway -->|"LA agrees to issue EHCP"| draft_ehcp assessment_underway -->|"LA refused to issue EHCP"| refused_ehcp refused_ehcp -->|"Going to mediation"| mediation_ehcp refused_ehcp -->|"Appeal directly (mediation certificate still required)"| appeal_ehcp refused_ehcp -->|"LA agreed to issue an EHCP — without mediation or tribunal"| draft_ehcp mediation_ehcp -->|"Resolved — LA will issue EHCP"| draft_ehcp mediation_ehcp -->|"Not resolved — proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_ehcp appeal_ehcp -->|"Won — LA must issue EHCP"| draft_ehcp appeal_ehcp -->|"Lost"| initial_concerns appeal_ehcp -->|"LA conceded before tribunal"| draft_ehcp draft_ehcp -->|"Comments submitted"| final_ehcp final_ehcp -->|"Satisfied with EHCP"| annual_review final_ehcp -->|"Appealing content (Sections B, F, or I)"| appeal_content final_ehcp -->|"LA proposing to cease the plan"| ceasing_plan appeal_content -->|"Going to mediation"| mediation_content appeal_content -->|"Proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_content_tribunal appeal_content -->|"LA agreed to amend the plan — without mediation or tribunal"| final_ehcp mediation_content -->|"Resolved — EHCP amended"| final_ehcp mediation_content -->|"Not resolved — proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_content_tribunal appeal_content_tribunal -->|"Won — EHCP amended"| final_ehcp appeal_content_tribunal -->|"Lost"| annual_review appeal_content_tribunal -->|"LA conceded before tribunal"| final_ehcp annual_review -->|"LA proposing amendments"| amending_plan annual_review -->|"Plan amended"| annual_review annual_review -->|"Appealing refusal to amend"| appeal_review annual_review -->|"LA keeping the plan as it is"| review_maintained annual_review -->|"LA proposing to cease the plan"| ceasing_plan annual_review -->|"Appealing the content of the amended plan"| appeal_amended_content amending_plan -->|"Amended plan issued"| annual_review amending_plan -->|"LA decided not to amend after all"| review_maintained appeal_review -->|"Going to mediation"| mediation_review appeal_review -->|"Proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_review_tribunal appeal_review -->|"LA agreed to amend — without mediation or tribunal"| amending_plan mediation_review -->|"Resolved — plan amended"| annual_review mediation_review -->|"Not resolved — proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_review_tribunal appeal_review_tribunal -->|"Won — plan amended"| annual_review appeal_review_tribunal -->|"Lost"| annual_review appeal_review_tribunal -->|"LA conceded before tribunal"| annual_review review_maintained -->|"Accepting the decision"| annual_review review_maintained -->|"Appealing the decision not to amend"| appeal_review ceasing_plan -->|"Challenging the decision"| appeal_cease ceasing_plan -->|"Accepting the decision"| plan_ceased appeal_cease -->|"Going to mediation"| mediation_cease appeal_cease -->|"Proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_cease_tribunal mediation_cease -->|"Resolved — the plan will be maintained"| annual_review mediation_cease -->|"Not resolved — proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_cease_tribunal appeal_cease_tribunal -->|"Won — the plan is maintained"| annual_review appeal_cease_tribunal -->|"Lost — the plan ceases"| plan_ceased appeal_cease_tribunal -->|"LA conceded before tribunal"| annual_review plan_ceased -->|"Requesting a new EHC needs assessment"| request_assessment appeal_amended_content -->|"Going to mediation"| mediation_amended_content appeal_amended_content -->|"Proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_amended_content_tribunal mediation_amended_content -->|"Resolved — plan amended further"| annual_review mediation_amended_content -->|"Not resolved — proceeding to tribunal"| appeal_amended_content_tribunal appeal_amended_content_tribunal -->|"Won — plan amended"| annual_review appeal_amended_content_tribunal -->|"Lost"| annual_review appeal_amended_content_tribunal -->|"LA conceded before tribunal"| annual_review appeal -->|"Won at tribunal"| assessment_underway appeal -->|"Lost at tribunal"| initial_concerns click initial_concerns call ehcpStageInfo() click request_assessment call ehcpStageInfo() click refused_assessment call ehcpStageInfo() click mediation_assessment call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_assessment call ehcpStageInfo() click assessment_decision call ehcpStageInfo() click assessment_underway call ehcpStageInfo() click refused_ehcp call ehcpStageInfo() click mediation_ehcp call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_ehcp call ehcpStageInfo() click draft_ehcp call ehcpStageInfo() click final_ehcp call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_content call ehcpStageInfo() click mediation_content call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_content_tribunal call ehcpStageInfo() click annual_review call ehcpStageInfo() click amending_plan call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_review call ehcpStageInfo() click mediation_review call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_review_tribunal call ehcpStageInfo() click review_maintained call ehcpStageInfo() click ceasing_plan call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_cease call ehcpStageInfo() click mediation_cease call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_cease_tribunal call ehcpStageInfo() click plan_ceased call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_amended_content call ehcpStageInfo() click mediation_amended_content call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal_amended_content_tribunal call ehcpStageInfo() click appeal call ehcpStageInfo() style refused_assessment stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style mediation_assessment stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_assessment stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style assessment_decision stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style refused_ehcp stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style mediation_ehcp stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_ehcp stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_content stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style mediation_content stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_content_tribunal stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style amending_plan stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_review stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style mediation_review stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_review_tribunal stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style review_maintained stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style ceasing_plan stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_cease stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style mediation_cease stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_cease_tribunal stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style plan_ceased stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_amended_content stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style mediation_amended_content stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal_amended_content_tribunal stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b style appeal stroke-dasharray: 4 4,stroke:#f59e0b