Autistic girl failed by council delays - mother

Emily, who has autism, ADHD and OCD, left mainstream school aged 13

The mother of a teenager with special educational needs (SEN) has criticised a council over delays she says have prevented her daughter from accessing education.

Emily, 16, from Uckfield, East Sussex, has autism, ADHD and OCD and was given an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in November 2022.

Her mother, Sarah, said an East Sussex County Council delay in updating the plan had "let down" the family.

The council said the proposed amended EHCP would be shared with the family "very soon".

Sarah described the situation as "demoralising" and " mentally exhausting".

"You start to lose hope. It’s so unfair it’s been going on for so long."

She said Emily had not been at school for two years and was unable to apply for college.

Sarah, Emily's mum, described her daughter's situation as "mentally exhausting"

Sarah said she worried for Emily's future.

"I worry, badly, that she is just going to be another child that is let down by the system and her mental health will deteriorate again."

She added: "It’s not fair that my poor child and us as a family have been let down by [East Sussex County Council]."

Sair Walker, an SEN consultant helping the family, said Emily was entitled to an education but had an EHCP that had "not been finalised appropriately".

She said: "She does not have a school named on her EHCP and we have just done an annual review to look at the progress that would have been made in the last 12 months but she has not made any progress.

"There’s nothing to assess because she was not accessing education."

SEN consultant Sair Walker said Emily's education plan had not been finalised

Ms Walker said children were being pushed "from pillar to post" and were "not getting the help they need".

She said: "I absolutely do understand that local authorities must have seen an increase in the number of children coming through the system.

"There’s not enough funding and not enough school places and they do struggle to see everybody in time."

The council said it could not comment further on individual cases.