More than 80 per cent of children in care 'receive SEND support'
Joe Lepper
Thursday, January 23, 2020
At least eight out of 10 children in care receive support for a special education need or disability (SEND), according to a study.
The research by the University of Central London’s Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health analysed the support needs of the 2005 cohort of year 1 pupils from the ages of five to 16.
It found that 83 per cent received SEND support at some point in their school life and around a quarter have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, previously a statement of SEN, in place.
Among all children, the proportion with SEND support is 14.9 per cent, and 3.1 per cent of all pupils have an EHC plan.
The report notes that “cuts to special educational needs provision and social care have resulted in pressures on these services" which may impact on looked-after children’s health.
This includes not receiving support for complex health needs or a learning disability, as well as managing behavioural needs.
“These findings highlight just how important provision for special educational needs is for many thousands of children,” said UCL report lead author Matthew Jay.
“Special educational needs provision affects a large segment of the population – for some groups, the large majority. Special educational needs can affect a child’s ability to learn and develop, and they may struggle with their reading and writing, making friends and concentrating. This type of support can be very important for vulnerable children in contact with social care services.”
UCL professor Ruth Gilbert and senior author on the report added: “We know there are strong links between special educational needs, the need for social care support and health, but we do not know whether changes in SEN provision over the past years has impacted on the NHS or increases in social care referrals.
“Healthcare, SEN provision and social care services focus on a similar population of children, and better integration of these services would lead to better support for these children and their families.”
The Local Government Association’s children and young people board chair Judith Blake said the report’s findings prove the need for “inclusive schools and a properly funded SEND system”.
She said councils are dealing with a rise of 50 per cent in the number of children and young people on EHC plans since they were introduced through the Children and Families Act in 2014.
“Meanwhile, the number of children in care has increased year on year for the last decade. Virtual school heads work hard to make sure these children get the support they need to thrive at school, but pressures on SEND funding make it extremely difficult,” she said.
The government pledged an extra £700m for SEND support for children last year, as part of a wider £14bn schools funding pledge over the next three years. This was given a cautious welcome by charities and councils.
Meanwhile, a survey of National Education Union members last year found that more than two-thirds rate support for SEND pupils as “poor”. A small proportion of members rated such support as “good” and none said support was “outstanding”.
Also last year, members of the House of Commons education committee said that children with SEND are being let down by “bureaucratic nightmares, buck-passing and a lack of accountability”.
The needs of many autistic children are also not being met, due to the long waiting times to secure a formal diagnosis, which is often needed to unlock SEND support. The charity Ambitious about Autism found that almost half of parents had to wait more than 18 months from being first referred for an assessment to gaining a formal diagnosis.
