About EHCP Compass

Our mission

EHCP Compass exists to help parents and carers in England navigate the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process — track statutory deadlines, write the right letters at the right time, and understand their legal rights — 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, source-backed hub for SEND parents in England. Every page on the site is built around one principle: any parent should be able to click through to the original UK legislation, government statistic, or trusted charity behind every claim we make. No one should have to take our word for it.

What you'll find on the site today:

EHCP Did You Know — the truth about SEND in England

A verified statistics page covering the 19.5% of ALL pupils in English schools who have SEN, the 5.3% with an EHCP, the 99% tribunal success rate for families (of cases decided by a tribunal), the 11 statutory sections of an EHCP, annual review timings, and the legal roles of councils, schools, parents, and health bodies. Every figure linked to its DfE, Ministry of Justice, or legislation.gov.uk source.

Grants, Benefits & Entitlements

Two parts: family-facing benefits English SEND families are legally entitled to but often don't know about (DLA — not means-tested — Carer's Allowance, Carer's Credit, Direct Payments, Continuing Care for children, Short Breaks, free home-to-school transport, Pupil Premium and Pupil Premium Plus, Disabled Students' Allowance, UC disability elements, Council Tax reductions, Blue Badge, Healthy Start, the new Crisis and Resilience Fund). Plus a guide to all current routes to a free or subsidised laptop, tablet, or assistive tech for SEND children in 2026.

Support Directory

Over 30 verified UK SEND organisations across legal advocacy (IPSEA, SOS!SEN, Coram, Contact, NAS, Mencap, Scope), financial support (Family Fund, Newlife, Cerebra, Caudwell, Turn2Us), and emotional wellbeing (YoungMinds, Mind, Samaritans, Papyrus, CALM, Shout). Phone numbers, opening hours, eligibility, and direct links. Sticky crisis callout so parents in emergency can find help in seconds.

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, deadline tracker, plain language glossary, and the 12 legal rights guide.

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 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.

Built with lived experience

EHCP Compass is built by people with direct, personal experience of the EHCP process as parents or carers of children with special educational needs. Every feature is shaped by what we wished we'd had when we were navigating the system ourselves.

We work with — and learn from — 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.

Verification and review

All legal content on EHCP Compass is verified against the Children and Families Act 2014, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014, the SEND Code of Practice 2015, the Equality Act 2010, the Mental Health Act 1983, the Children Act 1989, the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, the Education Act 1996, the Care Act 2014, the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, and the Local Government Act 1974, alongside authoritative SEND organisations including IPSEA, SOS!SEN, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, the Information Commissioner's Office, and current DfE and Ministry of Justice statistics.

Every statistic, every statutory citation, and every charity contact detail on the site links to its primary source so parents can verify it themselves.

Content is reviewed at least every six months, with helpline numbers and government figures checked quarterly. We update promptly after significant legislative or case-law changes.

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 — Built by SEND parents, for SEND parents.

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.