Kent special education needs services criticised in 'uncomfortable' report

Kent has not made sufficient progress in addressing issues raised in 2019, inspectors found

Services for children with special education needs in Kent are being held back by "historic weaknesses", a highly critical report by two watchdogs said.

Inspectors were revisiting the county's services after an investigation in 2019 identified significant weaknesses.

They found authorities had "not made sufficient progress" in addressing these weaknesses.

Kent County Council has apologised and local health officials have vowed to listen to carers and the community.

The report, published jointly by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, involved listening to views of young people with special educational needs, carers, school leaders and almost 2,000 parents. The impact of the Covid pandemic was also considered.

One parent, who the report quoted as "representing the views of many", said: "Communication is poor. Co-production is non-existent.

"It feels as though my son's needs are not being prioritised, and they don't care. They are incompetent."

The report made for "uncomfortable and hugely disappointing reading" Kent County Council leader Roger Gough said.

'Unacceptably weak'

Parents and teachers said there were examples of attempting to call officers "40 or 50 times with no response".

Elsewhere, inspectors found that those in charge of commissioning services "identify that they have been significantly held back, over time, by weak bureaucratic processes, silo working and persistent financial disagreements".

The report found that although there had been "notable improvements" with the commissioning of services, "historic weaknesses and gaps are not sufficiently addressed."

Mr Gough accepted the findings of the report and said the collective focus was on the challenge "to make things right".

Dame Eileen Sills, chief nurse of the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, promised to "listen to the voices of parents, carers and families" in order to make necessary improvements.

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