Last week, after an 18-month investigation by MPs from across the political spectrum, the House of Commons Education Committee published its report into special educational needs and disabilities and the uphill struggle faced by thousands of families in securing support for children and young people.
We heard from more than 70 people in person and took submissions from hundreds more, including from parents and carers and young people with SEND – determined that they should be at the very heart of our inquiry.
The evidence that stuck most in my mind will be sadly all too familiar to Mumsnet users.
We heard from parents who were at the end of their tether, struggling to navigate the treacle of bureaucracy and find their way through a labyrinthian system.
We heard how many parents were having to take their case to Tribunal, and how many complaints were being upheld by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, although not every parent has the resources (not just financial), to do this.
And we heard stories from parents of exactly what they were putting on the line during the fight for support – their mental health, their businesses, their relationships and their homes.
It is obvious that many parents face a titanic struggle just to try to ensure their child gets access to the right support.
The government now has the evidence that the system is dysfunctional and their reforms of 2014 are not working, but our recommendations provide a way ahead to ensure every child gets the support that they need.
To help parents, there should be a neutral role created to guide them through the needs assessment and Education Health and Care Plan process. They could give advice, assistance with all the paperwork and coordinate meetings, as well as making sure that children and young people are able to feed into the process. This type of role already exists for looked-after children – so we know there’s a model out there that could work.
We want to see the Ministers in the Department for Education really understanding the problems on the ground – which is why there is a need for parents and schools to be able to report directly to the Department when they believe local authorities are acting unlawfully.
There also needs to be more therapeutic support available for schools and pupils, which is why we have recommended that the government should look for and then fill in the gaps across the country.
We want to see more accountability, through stronger and more regular Ofsted inspections of schools and local authorities, including a greater focus on the training that local authority staff have. Greater accountability should go beyond tougher inspections. There should be more powers for the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to investigate what goes on behind the school gate.
Support for children with SEND should not stop when they leave school. I am a great proponent of apprenticeships to set our country’s young people on the path to employment. We want to see government departments coming together with private business to develop a strategy to create more opportunities for young people with SEND to find their way into employment.
Young people want to grab opportunities with both hands but the reality is they are currently being let down by a lack of ambition, support and opportunities.
Our messages are important and we want as many people as possible to read about what we’ve found. Summaries of our report are available in EasyRead, large print and audio formats.
Getting the right support for a child should not be a fight, and children and young people must be put at the heart of the system.
Implementing our recommendations would ensure all children with SEND can thrive and succeed in fulfilling their potential in life.
Please note that Robert Halfon won't be able to respond to comments on this guest post as parliament will be dissolved next week ahead of the general election.
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Guest post: “Implementing our recommendations would ensure all children with SEND can thrive”
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MumsnetGuestPosts · 01/11/2019 11:03
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