Girl, 3, must wait a year for Send assessment

Megan said it was a "fight every step of the way" to get her daughter the right support

The mother of a child with additional needs has been told she will have to wait about a year for an all-important assessment.

Megan, from Saffron Walden, said it was "outrageous" that her three-year-old daughter could end up starting school without the right support in place.

Earlier this year, Essex County Council revealed only 1% of children received an education, health and care plan (EHCP) within the legal 20-week timeframe.

However, the local authority said this rate had increased to 40% since September.

"It's a fight every step of the way," explained Megan.

"Raising a child with Send (special educational needs and disabilities) kids is hard enough, but when you then have to deal with the system on top of that to try and get the best for your children, there's a huge impact both financially and on relationships.

"It can be a real strain."

Megan said the privately paid-for educational psychologist assessment for her daughter had not been taken into account by the council

Megan says her daughter Joy has additional needs including autism, global developmental delay and a speech impairment.

She first requested an EHC needs assessment from the council in March, she said.

However, in a letter seen by the BBC, the council told her she would not be provided with an educational psychologist (EP) assessment until about a year's time.

The EHCP that is issued to parents - following the EP assessment - sets out what help a child is legally entitled to, such as one-to-one support in schools.

Megan said Joy's privately funded EP assessment was not taken into account by the council.

Megan is worried Joy will end up in the wrong school and without support, as a result of the delay

Maria Bloom, who works in the legal team for a charity - Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) - said local authorities were in a "no-win" situation.

Essex County Council has previously pointed to a national shortage in qualified EPs.

Ms Bloom said: "They are breaking the law if they don't obtain information from an educational psychologist – which they are responsible for commissioning - and they're also breaking the law if they fail to comply with the statutory timescale."

Megan said she sympathised with the pressures facing council staff.

Requests for EHCPs in Essex increased by 143% between 2015 and 2023, according to the local authority's data.

In January, there were 13,278 children in Essex categorised as having "high needs",

The council said this year it was investing £2.9m towards reducing EHCP waiting times.

Tony Ball, the Conservative cabinet member for education, said about 40% of plans were issued within the 20-week timescale since the start of the academic year.

"However, local government finances can also only stretch so far," he explained.

"We need the government to work with young people, their families, schools, councils and local health services to bring about the changes that are so desperately required."

​​In October, the National Audit Office said parents had lost faith in a Send system "in urgent need of reform".

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said this week she "hears the frustration" of parents but significant changes would take time.