Parents meet MPs to discuss Send provision

West Northants Send Action group have been holding regular protests outside council meetings

A group of parents are visiting Westminster to raise awareness about special educational needs and disability (Send).

Members of the West Northants Send Action group will meet MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The campaign group was set up two years ago to raise awareness of what the group calls "failures" in the county’s provision and treatment of families.

West Northants Council has said it is working hard to deliver its Send priority action plan.

Julie Heron, Jenny Crabb and Joanne Cooleen are all heading to Westminster to raise concerns

The parents are meeting with some of the Labour and Conservative MPs for Northamptonshire.

Julie Heron has two daughters, both with multiple special educational needs, and said she would like to explain her experience on the "frontline" of care.

"The MPs need to be aware of the system," she said.

"It isn't just a case of my child and today, this is the future taxpayer."

The group will have a tour of Parliament and will get the opportunity to sit in the public gallery for Prime Minister's Questions.

'Entire families are struggling'

Mother-of-three Joanne Cooleen says her youngest, Charlie, has been waiting more than 18 months for an education, health and care plan (EHCP).

She hopes to raise awareness of children like her son.

"There are children that are falling through the gaps that aren't being picked up," she said.

"We're looking for transparency over the EHCP process so everybody involved can understand what's going on, what's happening."

Jenny Crabb has three children and her eldest is on the autism pathway.

She said she also wanted to explain what it was like for families like hers.

"It's not just the parent and child who are struggling, it's entire families, it impacts every area of your life," she said.

She believed there needed to be more "accountability" - when the local authority was processing applications - for the "timelines and the quality of the plans given".

West Northamptonshire Council said: "We are working hard to deliver our Send priority action plan, and we have expanded our teams in order to increase the capacity within the service while ensuring we maintain the quality of EHCP's."