EHCP quality assurance standards

What is the Shropshire SEND Quality Assurance Framework?

The Shropshire SEND Quality Assurance Framework was co-produced and implemented across the Shropshire SEND system to ensure that there's a process and framework in place for the quality assurance of education health and care plans (EHCPs).

What is the Shropshire Vision?

The Shropshire Vision is:

“Shropshire children and young people with SEND to be healthy, happy and safe, and able to achieve their potential to lead a fulfilling life. We want them to have, and to expect, the same opportunities in life as other children and young people. We want them to thrive and live their best life."

What are the principles of the framework?

The framework provides a structure through which managers, leaders, partners and stakeholders can analyse the quality of EHCP planning, support and compliance with statutory responsibilities specific to the EHCP framework, local and national guidance, so that children and young people with SEND in Shropshire can achieve positive outcomes and pursue their aspirations successfully.

Our approach to quality assurance is informed by five core principles:

  1. Participation: we'll listen to and engage co-productively with children and young people and parents / carers.
  2. Responsibility and accountability: all professionals take responsibility and are accountable for the quality of their work, including being prepared to explain their judgements and actions to people who use Shropshire services, to senior leaders, and to the public.
  3. A culture of shared learning and understanding through the process of QA: we'll engage proactively in the process of quality assurance, take on board feedback and development opportunities, and promote a learning organisational culture.
  4. Dynamic collaborative feedback and review: we'll proactively seek out and welcome regular collaborative feedback and review from those using Shropshire services.
  5. Consistently high-quality and impactful: we seek to improve our support continuously to ensure a consistently high-quality offer across the county. Our work around quality assurance is designed to have a direct impact on improving experiences and outcomes for children and young people and their families.

The following standards will be used throughout the quality assurance process:

  1. Quality Standard 1 - EHCPs clearly record the views, interests and aspirations of the child or young person and their parent/carers and these are (a) fully represented within the plan and (b) inform the outcome of the plan.
  2. Quality Standard 2 - EHCPs are clear, concise, understandable, and accessible and outcomes are SMART. In addition, they should be aspirational, person-centred and identify strengths.
  3. Quality Standard 3 - EHCPs are holistic, all agencies involved with the child or young person, and their parent/carers, have contributed to the plan within timescales.
  4. Quality Standard 4 - EHCPs clearly describe the child or young person’s special educational needs, their strengths and capabilities and specify the support and intervention required. Where there's a medical diagnosis, the EHCP will focus on the impact of the diagnosis for the individual child or young person, and not solely on the diagnosis itself.
  5. Quality Standard 5 - EHCPs specify how education, health and care services will work together to meet the child or young person’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes, including transition planning for adulthood and independence.

The framework, including the process, criteria and responsibilities, are subject to regular review to ensure the model is effective, learning is disseminated, and improvements are made as a result. The framework was last reviewed and revised in November 2023.