SEND reform, digital EHCPs and Individual Support Plans: what parents should know

If you follow SEND news in England, you will hear talk of reform, digital plans, and new names for support. This page is a steady summary for parents — not a prediction of what will definitely happen, and not legal advice. Government consultations and policy documents set out proposals; Parliament and guidance can change the detail. Final arrangements may differ from early drafts, and different areas may move at different speeds.

What is being discussed (and what is not decided yet)

The Department for Education has published SEND and alternative provision improvement plans and related material under the "Right support, right place, right time" agenda. The government is consulting on changes and testing ideas including clearer accountability, earlier support, and more consistent record-keeping. Some documents refer to digital education, health and care plans and to wider use of standardised information — but how this will work in practice for your family will depend on final policy, funding, and local rollout. Treat headlines and social posts with the same care you would bring to any other part of the SEND journey: check the original source when something matters for your child.

Individual Support Plans (ISPs) in policy talk

Proposals include discussion of Individual Support Plans as part of the wider SEND picture. This does not mean every child will move to a single new label overnight, or that existing statutory frameworks vanish without formal change. What parents can usefully hold in mind is: names and templates may shift, but your need for a clear story — what was agreed, what happened, what was missed — tends to stay the same. If you are unsure what plan type your child has today, your local SEND information offer and school SENCO remain sensible starting points, alongside reputable charities if you need help interpreting letters.

Why a parent-held record still matters

As systems and portals evolve, parents may need to keep clearer records so that important detail is not scattered across emails, apps and paper that are hard to retrieve later. Council and school portals are usually built around the system. Send Dossier is designed as the parent-owned record that stays with the family. That is a design choice — not a comment on individual staff, and not a guarantee about any legal outcome.

How Send Dossier fits, whatever label applies

Send Dossier is built around practical record-keeping that stays useful whether your child's formal paperwork is an EHCP, a proposed ISP, SEN Support, a school support plan, or you are still working out which applies. The product areas are meant to work across those situations:

• Evidence Locker — letters, reports and files in one place.
• Timeline — dated notes of conversations and events.
• Deadlines — statutory and follow-up dates you do not want to lose.
• SENCO Log — school-facing contacts and commitments.
• Incident Log — a structured place for incidents that may matter later.
• Annual Review — preparation around the review cycle.
• Dossier Summary — a high-level picture when you need to explain the file quickly.

None of this replaces statutory processes or professional advice; it helps you carry a consistent record as those processes unfold. For today's statutory timescales and rights, our EHCP deadlines guide and SEND rights overview remain relevant where they apply to your situation.

Sources and further reading

We link to official material and list the same URLs on our Sources & References page so you can verify wording and check for updates. In particular, see the government's SEND review collection and SEND and alternative provision improvement plan — and keep an eye on new consultations on GOV.UK for your area of interest.

• SEND review: Right support, right place, right time (GOV.UK collection)
• SEND and alternative provision improvement plan (GOV.UK)
• SEND Code of Practice 0 to 25 (current statutory guidance)
• Take part in a consultation (GOV.UK) — how to respond when a formal consultation is open.

Future ideas we are thinking about (not in the product yet)

Send Dossier does not yet change how you label a plan in the app. These are directions we may explore after beta, depending on feedback and official guidance — they are not promises of delivery or timing:

• Clearer plan-type support in the interface (for example EHCP, proposed ISP, SEN Support, school support plan) once requirements are stable enough to implement well.
• A wording checker for vague provision language — to prompt parents to ask for specificity, not to provide legal drafting.
• A calm reform tracker that points to official updates without sensationalising them.

What this page is not

This guide is general information for parents in England. It is not legal advice, not medical or diagnostic advice, and not a substitute for IPSEA, SOS!SEN, Contact, SENDIASS or a solicitor when you need case-specific help. If policy changes after publication, rely on GOV.UK and your own professional advisers for the latest position.