Issuing a “heartfelt apology” alongside NHS Kent and Medway, council leader Roger Gough said the report, published last week following a joint area revisit by inspectors in late September, “makes uncomfortable and hugely disappointing reading”.
It finds that “the area has not made sufficient progress in addressing any of the nine significant weaknesses” noted by inspectors during an inspection three years ago.
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“Parental confidence in the local area’s ability to meet their children’s needs is at an all-time low,” a letter received by the council and its health partners following the latest visit states.
“Desperate and dispirited parents repeatedly told inspectors about their experiences, particularly of poor communication. Examples were evidenced where parents and school staff had attempted to call SEN officers 40 or 50 times with no response.
“The same lack of response was reported for email communication. Parents consistently describe a system that is inconsistent and too hard to navigate, and that there is a lack of response when they complain or seek help. Parents do not feel that there is accountability in the area’s SEND systems.”
Inspectors also note that Kent now has a 20 per cent higher rate of children and young people on education, health and care plans (EHCP) than the England average.
Despite this, parents told inspectors that “certain secondary schools, in particular, are not inclusive” and that “parents and carers have a limited role in reviewing and designing services for children and young people with SEND”.
It adds that while a parent carer forum, known as PACT, was established in April this year and has trebled its membership, two-thirds of more than 2,000 parents who responded to Ofsted’s feedback survey had never heard of it and 90 per cent of parents of children with SEND had not been involved in designing services.
Meanwhile, inspectors found slow progress in improving standards met by young people with SEND and in improving the inconsistent quality of the EHCP process in the area.
In response to Ofsted’s report, Gough said: “We accept the findings and offer our heartfelt apologies to all the children and parents who we have let down and we are very sorry for the impact this has had on them.
“Since the last inspection three years ago, we have not made enough progress to the improvements that those who rely upon us deserve.
“We will look to the approaches that we have taken in children’s services, which led to that service being rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted earlier this year. We now need to apply those strengths to our SEND provision, with children’s needs and rights at the centre of everything we do as we move forward.
“While there are a range of encouraging comments in the report about certain aspects of the service, it would not be right to dwell on them now, but they are nevertheless aspects that we can build on in the future.”
The council and NHS Kent and Medway has published a four-point improvement plan in a bid to boost services.
This includes plans for:
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New leadership through the appointment of Sarah Hammond as corporate director for children, young people and education service earlier this year.
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Renewed commitment to focus on the child
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Improved parent experience
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Strengthening SEND provision in mainstream settings.
Gough added: “I want to reassure children, young people and their parents, carers and families that our collective focus is on the challenge to make things right. I fully support the changes that Sarah Hammond has already begun to implement, to ensure the right provision in the right place at the right time for our children and young people and improve the experience of the service for their families.”
Eileen Sills, who was recently appointed as chief nurse at NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, said: “We can understand the frustration and anger felt by parents, carers and families in Kent revealed by this report. Many of the stories are heart-breaking. It should not be so hard to get the help needed especially as we know the Covid pandemic has already put additional pressures on people’s mental health.
“Our staff have worked hard to make improvements and they are disappointed and frustrated that this hasn’t made it better for children and families.
“As a new organisation we promise we will listen to the voices of parents, carers and families and then take action, with our partners in Kent County Council and the voluntary and community sector, to make the necessary improvements so children with special educational needs and disabilities get the support from the NHS they need to thrive.”
