SEND green paper could ‘further restrict’ support for disabled children, campaigners warn
Patrick Grafton-Green
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Government plans to improve services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) could “create further barriers” to support for some families, campaigners have warned.
The Disabled Children's Partnership (DCP), which is an umbrella organisation consisting of of 100 children's and disability charities including Mencap, Sense and Contact, says children with SEND and their families currently "have to battle through a confrontational and bureaucratic system to get the services they're entitled to".
These battles "take a huge toll on the mental health of the entire family" and result in "lengthy delays" to services, often involving tribunals and hearings, it adds.
The partnership has launched its #SENDABetterMessage campaign which aims to "challenge this broken system" following the publication of the long-awaited SEND green paper.
The campaign raises concerns that some proposals set out in the green paper, which was published earlier this month, could “further restrict disabled children and carers receiving support”.
These include forcing parents to pick a school from a pre-defined list, which could "limit choice and prevent a young person from accessing a school that is best for them".
The group has also criticised plans to create a national banding system to decide levels of support, adding "it should be based on individual need".
Other issues include making it harder for families to access tribunals due to proposed mandatory mediation, while the DCP says holding councils, schools and the health service to account if they do not meet legal duties is not adequately addressed.
NEW CAMPAIGN TODAY
— Disabled Children's Partnership (@DCPcampaign) April 19, 2022
Although we welcome the aims of the #SENDGreenPaper, we can’t let the government undermine the rights families with disabled children already have.
Join Linda in taking action for the #SENDABetterMessage campaign. Email your MP 📣 https://t.co/BKW7yz645S pic.twitter.com/WYtVkbsTiJ
The group, which is calling on supporters to write to their MP in response to the SEND green paper and take part in a six-week consultation on the proposals, says a major problem is "different service providers not working well together and unclear accountability".
"No one sees it as their responsibility to ensure that services are joined up" and services seek to "shift responsibility" leading to families constantly having "to retell their stories", it adds.
It also calls for legislation around support for disabled children and their families to be simplified.
The government must create "a more just, fairer system of support... one that is easier to navigate and gets [families] the services they're entitled to without having to fight for them", it says.
The campaign comes after a recent DCP report laid bare the impact of the pandemic on the lives of disabled children and their families.
Left Behind: 6 Months On revealed that "many disabled children are unable to regain the momentum lost during the pandemic" with challenges they already faced accessing support "severely exacerbated".
Delays and backlog are now "commonplace", it states.
The isolation facing families was also highlighted, with almost half of disabled children and their siblings not seeing a friend online or in person over the Christmas period, despite household mixing being allowed.
The issue among parents also got worse over the last six months, with seven in 10 reporting feeling socially isolated.
Speaking at the launch of the green paper and six-week consultation, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said: "I want to make sure everyone knows what to expect, when to expect it and where the support should come from. I know there are strongly held views and I want to hear from as many parents, teachers and children with experience of the system so they can help shape a future policy that works for them."
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CYP Now is to stage a one-day conference on 29th June supporting practitioners working with children with special educational needs and disabilities, in which experts will provide guidance on the changes heralded by the government’s SEND green paper. Find out more here.