(England) 20% of students receive SPED support; adult services failing

Sept 28, 2026, Trill Mag: From school to adulthood: Are we failing SEND young people?

About 1.7 million pupils in England – roughly one in five – receive SEND support, and 483,000 (5%) have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

For families with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), turning 18 can be more than just becoming an adult.

It means moving from children to adult services.

Many SEND young people and their families rely on transition planning to prepare for life after school. 

The transition

This involves planning for further education, employment, independent living, healthcare and social care, depending on the young person’s needs.

Transition should be an ongoing process rather than a single event and tailored to suit the child’s needs. 

However, the change between services is not always smooth, leaving families to navigate what education, employment, social care and independence will look like for their child. 

Erica Lorimer, deputy manager of a respite service, shared her concerns with Trill. 

 “Often, families might have… eight days a month respite in children’s services, and then they come to adult services, and it’s put in half… you’ve only got four.

“They’re not told that the likelihood of you getting the same amount of respite as you had when they were in children’s services is very unlikely.”

Erica believes this reduction is driven by financial pressure rather than choice.

“It feels like when there are pressures on budgets within the council, it’s adult social care that is the one that suffers.”

But why is this?

For Tracy King, a clinical psychologist who works with children, families, local authorities and the court system, the difficulties surrounding SEND support are not unfamiliar.

“Support is linked to age, diagnosis and situations and does not always follow a young person when these change.”

A government review has warned of a potential ‘cliff edge’ in health support for some young people as they move into adulthood, with systemic weaknesses affecting the transition.

With pressure also spreading to voluntary organisations, charities that provide support outside of statutory services are facing financial difficulties on their own. 

Autism Family Support Oxfordshire (AFSO), which had provided support for 48 years, closed earlier this year, following a lack of funding.   . . .

If a young person may need additional support with education, health or social care, families can speak to their school or college about whether an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment is appropriate. 

An EHCP can provide support for young people in education or training up to the age of 25 in certain circumstances. 

However, having one does not automatically guarantee access to adult social care or other services. 

SEND parent Ness expressed her frustrations with the eligibility for support. 

“We have had multiple EHCP coordinators, and many of them say that my child is not suited to mainstream school

“However, it comes down to a few individuals who make the decisions. 

“EHCP coordinators can go from ‘yes, we see that his needs are extreme and is a safeguarding concern’, to ‘sorry, he is not severe enough’.”

What needs to change? 

Adult services play an important role in helping disabled young people access support and independent lives. 

Without this system in place, many SEND young people would be left abandoned.

For Erica, one of the biggest changes is clearer communication with families. 

“A lot of families don’t have any kind of understanding of what the next steps are.“

Informing parents would be beneficial to the process and to preventing complicated situations from worsening.  

Ness hopes there will be less of a fight for carers and parents in the future.

For Tracy, accessibility itself needs to be adapted to the people requiring help. 

“Many young people want support but cannot jump through the form-filling hoops to get it.”

Autism is a growing issue and is still underfunded.