Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to continue support for disabled adults whose EHCPs have ended during the covid-19 outbreak as a result of their age.

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice is clear that education, health and care plans (EHCPs) should be designed to support young people to make positive transitions to adulthood, with a clear focus on outcomes and the support a young person will need to achieve them.

The legislative and funding arrangements for EHCPs do not allow for a plan to be extended beyond the age of 25. Instead, the local authority should ensure that the appropriate adult services have the necessary transition support in place for the individual young person, including through the statutory adult care and support plan which is designed to set out the type of support you need and how this will be given, and support to enable them to secure appropriate housing or link them to employment services.

Young people who have previously had an EHCP and have reached the age of 25 may also be eligible for funding through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.