Services for children with SEND ‘seriously affected’ by Covid-19 pandemic
Fiona Simpson
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have regressed in their development due to lack of available services during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ofsted has said.
In the second in a series of briefings by the inspectorate on the impact of the crisis on children and young people, it found that “children with SEND have been seriously affected in both their care and education, as the services that families relied on - particularly speech and language services - were unavailable.”
The findings come following ungraded visits to 900 education and social care providers during September and October.
They found that while SEND services did continue in some areas, demand increased due to school closures.
“Although support services remained open, their ability to deliver existing packages for children with complex needs was reduced,” the report states. “Demand also increased with increasing numbers of children not being able to attend school. In some areas, there was an increase in disabled children coming into care or children being placed in out-of-borough residential placements because of a lack of support."
There was often significant delay and no evidence of escalation and problem-solving, it adds, stating that “one child remained living in residential provision while waiting for adaptations to the home. They had no face-to-face contact with family, which led to them experiencing avoidable emotional harm.”
In one area, local authority leaders were not aware whether children with SEND had returned to school, while in another “children with autistic spectrum disorders in secondary school struggled with changes to their home and school life, and they did not receive the help they needed to manage this,” inspectors said.
The report also warns that children hardest hit by school closures and restrictions have regressed in some basic skills and learning.
Some young children, who were previously potty-trained, have lapsed back into nappies, particularly those whose parents were unable to work flexibly, the report finds.
Meanwhile, older children have lost stamina in their reading and writing, some have lost physical fitness, others show signs of mental distress, including an increase in eating disorders and self-harm.
It adds that these issues “weren’t necessarily determined by privilege or deprivation”.
“Rather, those who are coping well have good support structures around them and have benefited from quality time spent with families and carers. This includes children from all backgrounds, including those within the care system, some of whom saw relationships with carers improve,” the report states.
It also highlights concerns over children who were “out of sight” during school closure.
“Referrals to social care teams have fallen and have not returned to more typical levels since schools have reopened. This raises concerns that domestic neglect, exploitation or abuse is going undetected,” Ofsted says.
Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said: “We have now entered a second national lockdown. This time, at least, schools, colleges and nurseries are to remain open. That is very good news indeed. The impact of school closures in the summer will be felt for some time to come – and not just in terms of education, but in all the ways they impact on the lives of young people.
“As it was in the first lockdown, the work of teachers, social workers and carers, with the support of parents, will again be critical to the future success and happiness of our children.”