More than 130 extra children and young people with special needs
are being supported by councils every day, new figures reveal,
prompting calls for government funding to tackle a growing
“national special needs emergency”.
Latest figures show 48,900 children and young people, aged
0-25 in England received new Education, Health and Care (EHC)
plans in 2018, which detail the support a person with special
educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is entitled to.
This amounts to 134 children and young people with SEND
starting support plans each day.
The Local Government Association, which represents councils
in England and Wales, says this underlines the unprecedented
level of demand for support and the need for the Government to
properly fund this in the upcoming Spending Review.
The LGA estimates councils in England are facing a SEND
funding gap of up to £1.6 billion by 2021.
Councils have seen rapid rises in demand for support
following changes to legislation in 2014 which extended
eligibility for support to the 16 to 25 age group.
In the five year period since, councils have overseen an
increase of nearly 50 per cent in children and young people with
EHC plans, or in their previous form, SEN statements, from
237,100 in 2014 to 354,000 in 2019.
The rise in demand and lack of resources have also seen a
lower proportion of EHC plans completed on time. Sixty per cent
of plans issued within the 20 week limit in 2018, down from 65
per cent the previous year.
The LGA says that in addition to emergency funding in the
Spending Review, the Government should launch a review of current
SEND funding levels.
Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and
Young People Board, Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, said:
“We face a national emergency providing the vital care and
support children and young people with SEND so desperately rely
on, and the Government must address this in the Spending
Review.
“The fact more than 130 children and young people are
starting support plans with their council every day demonstrates
the colossal demand pressures local authorities are under, and
the need for this to be properly funded by government.
“Preparing Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for
children with SEND is a complex and lengthy process, and one that
local authorities take extremely seriously and seek to get
right.
“While councils endeavour to make sure the increasing
numbers of EHC plans are completed on time, this cannot be at the
expense of working alongside families and teachers to make sure
all children who need support have the most appropriate plans in
place.
“Parents rightly expect and aspire to see that their child
has the best possible education and support, and councils have
done all they can to achieve this. However funding has not kept
up with demand, pushing support for children with SEND to a
tipping point.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Latest special educational needs figures
available here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-special-educational-needs-sen
2. For more information on the LGA’s campaign for more SEND
funding and our latest reports https://www.local.gov.uk/about/campaigns/bright-futures/bright-futures-childrens-services/bright-futures-send-funding
