Government announces extra £80m for SEN reforms

Councils across England will share £35.8m in 2016/17 to help them transfer young people to education, health and care (EHC) plans before the deadline in April 2018.

A further £27.3m will go to the Family Fund Trust, which provides grants to low-income families for respite breaks, while £15m will go to a project run by the Council for Disabled Children that supports families and children going through the EHC assessment process.

And £2m will go to an organisation called the National Network of Parent Carer Forums that provides advice to parents of disabled children.

The Department for Education said the funding boost had been planned for some time, but charities have told CYP Now that the sector was not expecting additional cash.

The funding comes as local authorities struggle to implement the reforms. Last year children's minister Edward Timpson announced that the time councils could take to transfer children with SEN statements to EHC plans would be extended from 14 to 18 weeks.

It is feared that some authorities will struggle to transfer all children by the April 2018 deadline stipulated in the Children and Families Act 2014.

The government said councils will get further money in 2017/18, but has not given a figure. Organisations in the sector have said they are concerned that the funding will not be enough to tackle the problems involved with implementation.

Ian Noon, head of policy and research at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said the funding is insufficient.

“NDCS welcomes this additional funding but it's not enough. It’s clear that many local authorities are struggling to implement the reforms to the special educational needs system effectively, whilst also dealing with other significant education cuts.”

Diane Kay, member of the Educational Rights Alliance, said providing additional cash for councils and charities to implement the reforms fails to address wider problems.

“The government needs to understand why the reforms haven't been implemented properly by local authorities," she said. 

"They need to listen to the parents who are telling them what they don't want to hear.”

Sarah Lambert, head of policy at the National Autistic Society, welcomed the funding, but said progress by councils should be monitored.
 
"The new SEN system has the potential to transform the prospects of a generation of children on the autism spectrum," she added.

"But poor local implementation in some areas has meant that many parents are still facing long and stressful battles trying to get the right support for their child. The funding unveiled today is recognition of this problem and should help address it.
 
“The government must now closely monitor how local authorities are coping with the changes so they can make sure that every child gets the quality education they deserve.”

Children's minister Edward Timpson said the £80m will help transform the life chances of children across the country.

“Our vision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is simple: that their aspirations are as high any other young person, that they dream big, achieve well at school and college, and lead fulfilling, happy lives," he said.

“We’ve made fundamental changes to the law to provide that support and the work I’ve seen so far, putting families at the heart of the process, is inspiring – but we know there is still more to do to."