From curiosity to commitment: Why Medway chose VITA for EHCP drafting

Like many local authorities, Medway Council has been balancing increasing demand for EHCPs with the challenge of maintaining quality, consistency and statutory timescales. With more than 4,800 EHCPs across the local area and all new assessments managed through a dedicated assessment team, the pressure on plan writers is significant.

The service is structured across three areas covering pre-14, post-14 and assessments, with individual case officers responsible for each assessment journey from start to finish, including drafting EHCPs. As demand continues to rise and new staff join the service, leaders began exploring how technology could support a more consistent approach to EHCP writing while reducing administrative burden.

That search led them to Invision360's bespoke AI-powered EHCP writing module, VITA.

We caught up with Rebecca Brookes, Assessment Team Lead, and Joanna Mahadoo, Strategic Head of Education, Quality and Inclusion, to discuss their experience of trialling VITA, comparing it against another AI solution, and ultimately choosing to procure the module.

Looking for more than AI

For Medway, implementing AI wasn't simply about saving time – it was about allowing its professionals to focus their time and knowledge where it has the most impact in the process.

The team wanted a solution capable of reviewing complex professional advice, extracting key information accurately, and helping professionals create more consistent, high-quality EHCPs.

"Due to the high volume of requests and the original smaller number of staff there was strain on resources in terms of writing. We also have new staff, so having AI provide a consistent plan writing format is useful in supporting."

The authority also recognised that generic AI tools weren't designed around the complexities of EHCP drafting.

Any solution would need to understand SEND processes, handle lengthy multi-agency reports and support the professional judgement of practitioners.

Putting VITA to the test

Rather than making a decision based on demonstrations alone, Medway conducted a free trial of VITA concurrently with another AI product on the market.

This side-by-side evaluation allowed the team to see how different solutions performed in practice and compare directly.

"The trial period we ran two AI tools consecutively. Both had different features and this allowed us to identify what we wanted in a complete product."

While features were important, it was the combination of technology and partnership that ultimately stood out.

"The communication with the team at Invision360 and the speed in which aspects of the system were updated gave us the confidence that we would be engaging with a product that worked for us as a service."

The Medway team had specific requirements around how their local EHCP templates would integrate into the platform and how completed plans would look.

Knowing that feedback was being listened to and acted upon gave them confidence that the solution could evolve alongside their needs.

The feature that made the difference

One capability in particular stood out during the trial: VITA's ability to create a clear "golden thread" throughout the EHCP.

"The support offered by the team was a big selling point and their engagement with training. The 'jigsaw' feature aligning needs, provisions and outcomes on VITA stood out as this was key for us in terms of consistency and alignment of the golden thread."

Rather than simply generating text, VITA is designed specifically around EHCP methodology, helping professionals build plans that clearly demonstrate how identified needs connect to provisions and outcomes.

For Medway, this was a major differentiator.

Shifting the role of the case officer

One of the most interesting outcomes from the trial was how VITA changed the way professionals approached EHCP writing.

"Rather than being concerned that they have missed something from advices, they now take on the role of quality assurance, making sure that all advice has been included."

Instead of acting primarily as information gatherers, professionals are empowered to focus on judgement, reviewing drafts, validating content and ensuring plans accurately reflect each child or young person's needs.

Improving quality and consistency at scale

"VITA had a significant positive impact on the quality and consistency of first-draft EHCPs."

The team found the resulting plans were more coherent, better structured and easier to use in discussions with partners. It proved particularly valuable for newer members of staff, who could use VITA's structured drafting framework as a guide to best practice.

"Rather than relying on individual writing styles, VITA provided a consistent framework for drafting plans and helped reinforce what good practice looks like."

Benefits beyond productivity

“The team found that VITA significantly reduced the time spent producing a first draft, allowing plans to be generated within minutes once advice had been uploaded.”

The team identified several areas where efficiency improved:

• Reviewing lengthy professional advice reports

• Extracting key information from multiple sources

• Structuring needs, outcomes and provision

• Reducing duplication across reports

• Identifying gaps and inconsistencies through embedded quality assurance

By embedding quality assurance directly into the drafting process, professionals gain greater confidence in the plans they're producing and can focus their expertise where it matters most.

"For caseworkers, it changed the nature of their role from information extraction to quality assurance."

The impact is felt across the wider SEND system too.

The stronger alignment between EHCP sections helps produce plans that are more robust, more defensible and easier for partners to understand and implement.

For families, clearer plans mean support is easier to follow and more clearly linked to identified needs.

And from a statutory compliance perspective, greater consistency and stronger quality assurance support the production of EHCPs that are more robust and compliant.

Advice for other local authorities

When asked what they would say to other authorities considering AI-supported EHCP writing, Medway's response was clear:

“I would strongly recommend taking advantage of a free trial. One of the biggest benefits for Medway was seeing how VITA worked with real cases and understanding how it could support both efficiency and quality. VITA has helped with EHCP writing by combining efficiency, consistency and embedded quality assurance, enabling practitioners to focus on professional judgement rather than administrative drafting."

Ready to explore what's possible?

Medway's experience shows that AI can be far more than a productivity tool. When designed specifically for SEND services, it can help create more consistent plans, strengthen quality assurance, support new staff and free practitioners to focus on professional judgement.

If you're exploring how AI could support EHCP writing in your local authority, book a personalised demo of VITA and experience a free trial using your own cases.