Send pupils not thriving after delays, says council

The delays in provision has led to some children missing out on education and additional support, the council says

Council officers said not all pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) were "thriving" due to a lack in coordination of support.

The officers from Cambridgeshire County Council said delays in provision had led to some children missing out on education and additional help.

Earlier this year, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said services for Send children in Cambridgeshire needed to improve.

The officers proposed that £780,000 could help to tackle the backlog of completing education, health and care plans (EHC) and accelerate some children's assessments.

The regulators said arrangements between the Liberal Democrat-controlled county council and the local NHS integrated care board led to "inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with Send".

At a council meeting on Tuesday, Liz Day, a member of the public, said families were still facing long delays and "poor communication".

She said the report presented to the council focused on "hard metrics", rather than whether or not children were safe, happy or thriving in education.

Officers said while it was the authority's ambition for "all children to thrive", it recognised that "currently not all children are thriving".

National crisis

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has received complaints about the council which it upheld over delays in issuing EHCs.

Council officers said there had been a "national crisis" in Send provision.

In Cambridgeshire there has been a 7% funding increase each year, however, the authority is facing a 12% yearly increase in demand.

The officers said: "There has been a clear mismatch. Without sufficient funding children are at risk of not receiving the support they need."

Jonny Edge, a Liberal Democrat councillor, said while the "Send crisis" was not only being faced in the county, the area had been "disadvantaged" due to the national funding formula.

Officers said they were looking to prioritise children and young people referred for EHC assessments if there was an "additional risk" and added it could be "incredibly challenging" for schools to provide support while an assessment was ongoing.

With an increased demand for children with Send in the county, it was highlighted a number of schools were either in, or projected to be in, a budget deficit.

Charlotte Lowe, a Conservative councillor, asked officers what the priorities were to address the situation.

The officers said there needed to be enough staff members to deal with the high levels of referrals and an earlier indication if children required extra support and how to give it to them without families applying.

Officers said if children's needs were effectively met earlier on, there may not be a need for so many referrals.

They added that tackling the backlog was like taking "one step forward, but take two steps back".