Sept 19, 2021, BBC News: Suffolk County Council apologises for special needs failings https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-58622684
SE England
A council has apologised to those it has "let down" after a "hard-hitting" report outlined failings in some of its special educational needs services.
Suffolk County Council commissioned the independent review after some services had been criticised.
Nine recommendations for improvements have been made, including staff training….
It looked at processes, communication protocols and family-facing elements of special educational needs (SEND) provision.
'Fundamental change'
Weaknesses highlighted included "confusion and inconsistency" within the system, a "lack of transparency about processes and decision-making" and a "lack of consistency in the way families are informed of decisions made about their child", which subsequently caused "anger and frustration".
Conservative cabinet member for SEND, Rachel Hood, said: "As we anticipated, the report has shown that SEND services in Suffolk are not good enough, and I want to apologise to those children and young people we have let down….
"We must learn from this report and implement fundamental change as quickly as we can."
The council said it had already acted on the recommendation to work with a third-party organisation to deliver improvements.
Other recommendations included reviewing the process for allocating specialist placements and working with education leaders and parents and carers to understand the demand for specialist provision.
Lyndsay Terry, whose son, Bradley, 10, has autism, previously told BBC Radio Suffolk that her dealings with the were "a constant battle, every step of the way".
In response to the report, she said: "If the council can train staff and make those changes, I would welcome it."
However, Miss Terry said "it was too late to say sorry; the damage has already been done for many, many children".
