About EHCP Compass

Illustrative parent and child spending time together at home — AI-generated illustrative image. It does not show EHCP Compass users or staff.

Our mission

EHCP Compass exists to help parents and carers in England navigate the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process, prepare letters, organise evidence and understand source-linked information — completely free of charge.

The EHCP system was designed to make sure children with special educational needs and disabilities receive the support they're legally entitled to. In practice, the process is complex, the deadlines are easy to miss, and parents are routinely left to fight for legal entitlements without help. We're building the tool we believe every SEND parent should have — and giving it away for free.

We believe every parent deserves to understand their rights — regardless of background, income, or first language. Our long-term goal is to make EHCP guidance available in every community language spoken across the UK.

What we do

EHCP Compass is a free information hub for SEND parents in England. We link important legal and statistical claims to primary or named official sources where a relevant source has been checked; dated audits record the limits of that work.

What you'll find on the site today:

EHCP Did You Know — the truth about SEND in England

A statistics page that keeps each figure with its source, reporting period and denominator. It does not use a single tribunal “family success rate” because appeal types and outcome denominators differ.

Grants, Benefits & Entitlements

Information about benefits, grants and practical support that families may be eligible for. Each scheme has its own criteria, availability and application process. We also signpost routes to help with laptops, tablets and assistive technology; this is not an exhaustive list.

Support Directory

UK SEND organisations across legal advocacy, financial support and emotional wellbeing. Contact details are shown only where a current official source was available; otherwise the directory links to the organisation's official contact page.

Wellbeing Audio — School Car Park Series

Four short audio episodes for the parent in the moment: "If you just got a refusal letter", "If today is annual review day", "If you've just won tribunal", "If you're listening at 2am". Each episode page includes a Sources block linking to the underlying legislation. Plus a Further Listening section curating TED Health and TED Talks Daily.

Resources & tools

Letter templates, a plain-language glossary and the legal rights guide. Personalised deadline calculations and reminders are currently paused; use the source-linked guidance and confirm dates with your council or adviser.

Care & SEND

A dedicated section for foster carers, kinship carers, special guardians, adoptive parents, birth parents with PR, and SEND young people aged 16+ — covering PEPs, EHCPs, and who can request what.

Who we serve

EHCP Compass is for any parent or carer in England going through the EHCP process — whether you're just considering an assessment, you've received a draft plan, you're preparing for an annual review, or you're heading to mediation or tribunal. We also support SENDIASS services, SEND charities and education advocates who help families navigate the system.

How we work

EHCP Compass is established as a Community Interest Company (CIC) limited by guarantee — a UK legal structure for organisations operating for the benefit of a community. The community we serve is parents, carers and families of children with special educational needs and disabilities in England.

A CIC's assets are permanently committed to community benefit. We cannot distribute profits for private gain. Any surplus we generate is reinvested in maintaining and improving the tools we provide to SEND families. EHCP Compass is governed by a board of directors, with a designated safeguarding lead, and follows the editorial standard that every legal claim must link to its primary source. We are accountable to the families we serve.

How we're funded

EHCP Compass CIC’s project EHCP Compass — Free Multilingual SEND Guidance for Parents in England is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players for helping EHCP Compass provide free multilingual SEND guidance for parents in England.

EHCP Compass is funded by:

Grants from charitable foundations and trusts that support social impact technology
Donations from individuals who have used our tools and want to keep them available for others
Partnerships with organisations that share our mission to improve outcomes for SEND families

We do not take advertising. We do not charge parents. We do not sell user data.

Our values

SEND parents shouldn't have to fight alone. The EHCP process is hard enough without doing it without information, tools, or support.

Legal information should be free. The law belongs to everyone. Knowing your rights shouldn't depend on being able to afford a solicitor.

Parents deserve honesty about the system. We explain what the law actually says — not what local authorities sometimes claim it says.

Technology should serve the most vulnerable. EHCP Compass exists for the families the system fails — not to extract profit from them.

Independent information

EHCP Compass develops practical information and tools for families navigating the EHCP process.

We signpost families to — and draw on the published guidance of — SENDIASS services, SEND-specialist solicitors, SEND charities including IPSEA and SOS!SEN, Parent Carer Forums, and the wider community of SEND advocates working to improve outcomes for families in England. EHCP Compass is independent and these organisations are not partners, sponsors or endorsers of this site.

Verification and review

EHCP Compass CIC is responsible for the information published on this site. We do not currently have a SEND specialist reviewing every page. Source checks are limited to the claims and dates identified; they are not specialist approval or advice on an individual case.

We use primary legislation, current government guidance and named organisations' official pages where possible. Citing a source does not imply partnership or endorsement.

We record focused checks in dated content audits and beside relevant claims. A check date applies only to the named source and point, not to the whole site; unconfirmed material is removed, qualified or marked as pending.

Get in touch

For any question, comment or suggestion — including ideas for new templates, additions to the glossary, or rights you'd like us to explain — please email us at help@ehcpcompass.co.uk.

If you've used EHCP Compass and want to support it — by donating, volunteering your expertise, or partnering with us — we'd love to hear from you at the same address.

You can also find us on Instagram (@ehcp_compass), TikTok (@ehcpcompass), Facebook (facebook.com/ehcpcompass), and X (@ehcp_compass).

A final note

EHCP Compass is information, not legal advice. For advice on your specific situation, please contact your local SENDIASS service, IPSEA, SOS!SEN, or a SEND-qualified solicitor. See our Important information page for the full scope of what EHCP Compass provides and what it does not.

EHCP Compass — Plain-English SEND information for families in England.

EHCP Compass CIC is a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales. Company number 17240537. Registered office: Suite 10, Capital House, 61 Amhurst Road, London, E8 1LL, United Kingdom.