'Every step is a battle' - summit for Send parents

Lisa Vosper's son Charlie has been out of school for ten months

Families in Cornwall say urgent reform of the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system is needed as "every step is a battle".

North Cornwall MP Ben Maguire has held a summit to gather experiences he will be reporting back to ministers at Westminster.

Cornwall Council said demand for Send provision was rising fast alongside pressured budgets.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said she was "determined to turn it around" but it "will take time".

'Not acceptable'

Lisa Vosper's son Charlie, 11, has a diagnosis of non-verbal autism and has been excluded from his primary school since January.

"You can imagine how difficult that is as the main carer, a single parent and you are chasing and chasing for help all the time", she said.

Charlie has had a few hours of support since the summer and that is soon increasing to five days a week, Ms Vosper, from Bodmin, says there was "still no sign" of a school place.

She said: "Realistically they are saying maybe September next year which is not acceptable really.

"He needs specialised provision and there's not enough schools or places in Cornwall and if you go into Devon I don't think it's any better."

Adrian Brown said he waited more than sixty weeks for an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for his daughter Megan

'You have to constantly fight'

Adrian Brown said "every step is a battle" after years of trying to get support for daughter Megan, 16.

"You have to constantly fight and and as a parent understand all the documentation because the people you think will help you don't - it feels as if they are actually against you", he said.

Megan has a diagnosis of autism and is now at a specialist maths school.

Mr Brown, from near Launceston, said her academic ability made it even harder to get support.

"There are so many signposting agencies that signpost you to another signposting agency and nobody seems to know what's going on.

"Everybody fights against each other without looking at the solution - councils, schools, parents, the government. If all these people could communicate properly things could move forward", he said.

Increased provision

Cornwall Council said demand for Send provision was increasing nationally and locally for a variety of reasons, including difficulty recruiting and retaining specialist staff such as educational psychologists.

This year the authority said it expected to spend nearly £85m, up from about £72m last financial year.

Between 2019 and 2023, the percentage of children in education receiving SEN support had from 12.5% to more than 14%.

The council added it had invested in additional staff including Send system navigators, the first point of contact for families with Send children.

Lib Dem MP Ben Maguire held a summit for families and carers of SEND children

Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire said arranged the summit for last weekend because he was "shocked" at the amount of people who had issues with the Send system when he was campaigning during the General Election.

"I'm not convinced throwing more and more money at this is going to solve the problem. This is a structural issue and until we start building the foundations and making sure the system works for everyone I don't think we are going to solve this," he said.

Phillipson said she was "determined to rebuild families’ confidence in a system so many rely on."

“The reform families are crying out for will take time, but with a greater focus on mainstream provision and more early intervention, we will deliver the change that is so desperately needed.”