Local Elections 2021: Parents' battle to get support for their daughter

Parents from Southend who faced a "traumatic" battle to get get help with their daughter's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have called for families to receive more support. With 17 of the 51 Southend council seats up for grabs in elections on 6 May, what would political parties do if they won the vote?

Ellie Nickless was born with cystic fibrosis, is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) as well as severe sleep issues.

Her father Colin said: "The impact of Ellie's diagnosis has been dramatic for all of us, mainly the level of care needed is quite profound - up to 16 hours a day."

He took Southend-on-Sea Borough Council to a tribunal in a "traumatic battle" to force them to provide for his daughter's needs.

Mr Nickless and his wife Jessica battled for years over the provision of care before taking it to a tribunal, which they won.

"It's been quite a traumatic battle fighting the local authority to get access to these services, so we wanted to highlight that you can win your case, and to shine a light on the tactics used by the local authority," he said.

'Heart-wrenching'

Ellie, nine, will attend a specialist boarding school in Hampshire.

"We recognise this is the best thing for Ellie and we have to put our child's needs first but it is also heart-wrenching that your child is not going to be living at home any more," he said.

A recent survey of 650 parents in the Southend SEND group found that 25% had issues in accessing services for their children, he added.

Mr Nickless said: "These are vulnerable people and they shouldn't be treated like that."

It is the biggest town in Essex

Southend Borough Council has been run by a joint Labour, independent and Liberal Democrat administration since 2019.

The unitary authority, which means it provides all local government services. had previously been run by the Conservatives.

The town has a population of about 183,000 and is the biggest in Essex.

What would local political parties do about the issue?

Tony Cox, Conservative group leader

"The way the Nickless family were treated was appallingly bad, I'd describe it as gaslighting.

"The vulnerable children of this town deserve better, their parents deserve better and the council must be better at delivering support before more horror stories of great loss are reported.

"As such, the Conservative Group have called for an urgent investigation into the council's Children Services Team in order to gather what about it is so broken and create a plan to fix it so no vulnerable child is let down by this council again.

"We want to make sure that every child had the right start in life, with the right support."

Ian Gilbert, Labour group leader

"I have great sympathy for every parent struggling to get the support they need for their children.

"All our processes in relation to SEND and children's services more generally are subject to rigorous external inspection and review.

"I chair the Children's Services Improvement Board which is driving positive change in our services and which operates on a cross-party basis.

"Despite the tough financial climate, we have made significant investment into children's services, including an extra £210,000 for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to offset government cuts."

Carole Mulroney, Liberal Democrat leader

"It is good to know that Ellie Nickless is being funded to go to a specialist school which can cater to her needs, but it is disturbing to hear that her parents found the process to getting her needs met was traumatic.

"The Liberal Democrat team believe that nationally SEND budgets have been a soft target in the schools funding crisis and we will fight to reverse that trend.

"Parents should feel that the processes that are in place to get children the services they need are fair and transparent.

"The Conservative government has a long history of underfunding local councils and we will continue to campaign to see that reversed locally."

Mike Stafford, independent who sits on the People's Scrutiny Committee

"This one case is unfortunate, it took a lot of sorting out, and I don't know if we handled it very well.

"What we do need to do is listen and listen and hopefully improve on what we've done in the past.

"But the I think the council offers some remarkably good support, for example Project 49 is a fantastic operation.

"Councils have a hard job with lots of different demands and less money - the government has cut our budget by £60m since 2010, but we still need to meet the same needs."

James Vessey-Miller, Green Party

"It's evident that the Nickless family have been failed by the local authority, and I'm pleased that their resolve through what has been an awful experience for them will now lead to a better outcome for their child.

"It's a disgrace that they, and so many other families with SEND children in Southend, have been let down by the very system meant to support them, and have had to fight the council in court to get the best care for their children. That isn't something any family should have to do.

"Ultimately, the Green Party believes in a holistic approach, and we'd work for a better partnership between the parents of SEND children and the local authority. Often parents and carers know what is in the best interests of children in their care, and what's apparently obvious is the council aren't listening to those who know the individual needs of a child best."