(UK) Somerset: 200 families waiting for SPED plans despite $19M in funding

June 10, 2023, ITV: Somerset SEND children out of school for months amid wait for care plans https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2023-06-10/send-children-out-of-school-for-months-amid-wait-for-care-plans

SW England

Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities say they have been let down by Somerset Council.

Natasha Holden's children have ADHD and autism. One has an education health and care plan (EHCP) to access support, the other does not and has been at home since January.

"I know at least eight or 10 children that are not in education at the moment, because they're either in the EHCP process that's taking too long, so therefore your child doesn't have a space, it can be because their mental health's declined and they are not being supported properly.

"So there are lots of reasons but it all comes down to the lack of support and the fact the system is so broken."

Emma Dixon said the time and trauma it took to secure an EHCP for her first child had made her dread doing the same for her second child.

"It can fill you with dread knowing that you've got this long battle again. I know there's a pathway they have to follow, but it does fill me with dread knowing the stages I'll have to go through and the phone calls you've got to make and nobody replying to you," she said.

The parents said Somerset Council is failing in its legal duty to make a decision within 20 weeks.

They claim improvements to the authority's SEND provision seen by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission are insufficient.

The council lead for Children, Families and Education said a £15 million [$19M] investment had been made, but demand for EHCPs had more than doubled since the pandemic.

Councillor Tessa Munt said: "It's the mountain of demand, the lack of funding, which makes it very, very hard for that team to actually meet the need but we have to keep trying.

"But we're doing our best and we have done, but we need to do more and we recognise that."

More than 280 Somerset families have come together to support each other with obtaining EHCPs….