Mum says Suffolk SEND issues remain despite apology

Suffolk County Council was criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

A mother who received an apology from a council after her daughter had no education for six months has said there are still issues with her support.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) said the girl, from Suffolk, could not go to her school and should have got alternative provision.

Her mother said a member of school staff threatened her with imprisonment when she stopped school.

The council's Allan Cadzow apologised "for the distress this has caused".

A report from the LGSCO said the mother of the young girl complained her daughter was not provided with suitable alternative education after she became too anxious to attend primary school.

There had been "numerous decisions about Suffolk County Council's poor performance" in similar cases, it said.

The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Local Democracy Report Service her daughter was in her final year of primary school.

She spent November 2021 to April 2022 with no education other than what her mother could teach at home.

'Life is on hold'

The mother said: "My daughter's anxiety increased when Covid hit and it was a really slow process getting her back to school.

"We managed again up until the summer holidays in 2021, when my father-in-law passed away.

"It was almost a validation of her worries with Covid that he had died. He didn't die of Covid but we think it may have had an impact.

"Then, it was almost like she couldn't function any more - she just couldn't go to school.

"It became completely impossible to get her there. The SENCO [special educational needs coordinator] threatened me with imprisonment in front of my daughter. There wasn't any empathy from them."

• Parents protest over lack of SEND school places

• More SEND units needed in criticised county - head

• Delays in SEND referrals is concerning, says MP

She said she was still waiting for a "full sensory integration assessment" and a possible autism diagnosis, which she had been waiting two years for.

"Your life is on hold and you're just waiting," she said.

Her daughter was now attending school regularly, although still had issues with anxiety some mornings, she said.

Mr Cadzow, corporate director for children and young people at Suffolk County Council, said: "In addition to the recommendations made by the ombudsman, which have been implemented, we have also introduced our own reforms in this area to strengthen the way we do things.

"This situation is far from acceptable, but we continue to work with urgency and commitment to reform the way we deliver SEND education."