Parents Feel 'Deep Anxiety And Distrust' Over Upcoming SEND Changes

The uncertainty surrounding upcoming SEND reforms in England is weighing heavily on parents’ minds, with a new survey revealing nearly half of families (47%) are worried the changes will worsen their situation. 

Children and young people who need additional support in nursery, school or college currently access this through the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

Under the current system, families can apply for an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) which provides a guaranteed, legal right to support. There was a 140% increase in the number of children with EHCPs between 2015 and 2024.

While these plans should, in theory, be a positive for families, parents frequently report long delays, inconsistent decisions and costly, adversarial processes, according to national disability charity Sense, which can leave children with even the most complex needs without the help they are entitled to. 

The National Audit Office has also said if the SEND system isn’t reformed, it will be “financially unsustainable”. 

So, the government is preparing to unveil long-awaited proposals to overhaul the SEND system in the coming weeks, which were originally meant to be shared last autumn.

While full details have not yet been shared, options reportedly on the table include only offering EHCPs as a last resort, and shifting responsibility for applying for support from parents to schools. The Education Secretary has also said there will always be a legal right to additional support for children with SEND.

But some parents are concerned that the limited support their children currently have could be stripped away entirely. 

Kimberly Hind, 35, is one of them. Her five-year-old son Harvey is deafblind and attended a mainstream nursery while the family waited for his EHCP.

“Harvey lost his pre-school place at a specialist school because his EHCP took so long and he struggled severely in a mainstream nursery,” Kimberly said.

“I couldn’t physically make him go in because he was so anxious. He’d make himself sick and try and harm himself – he’d never done that before.”

Now, age five, Harvey attends a specialist school where his needs are supported and his mum said “he’s like a different child”.

Discussing the upcoming SEND reforms, Kimberly said she “doesn’t feel confident” about how things might change for disabled children.

“You can change anything by law but the local authorities still won’t follow it. They don’t have the staff, the funding or the training,” she said.

“I’m nervous there might even be funding cuts. It is very worrying. I’m just relying on Harvey’s school to save him and make sure that, whatever happens, he keeps getting the educational support he needs.”

A survey by Sense, which polled 1,000 parents and family carers of disabled children with complex needs, found the current system is failing a large portion of families.

Nearly half (48%) described the process of securing SEND support as stressful, while almost a quarter (22%) said their child’s school was not delivering the legally binding support set out in their EHCP. 

Two in five parents (40%) said they had been forced to reduce their working hours due to a lack of appropriate support for their child, while more than a third (35%) had left their job altogether. 

But parents are also concerned this might get worse under new reforms. Half (50%) said they are ‘nervous’ about the upcoming changes, while one-third (34%) do not believe politicians have disabled children’s wellbeing at the heart of decision-making.  

In particular, families are worried SEND reforms could weaken their children’s legal protections and result in further cuts to an already underfunded system. 

James Watson-O’Neill, chief executive of Sense, said: “A shocking number of children are being failed by a baffling and underfunded SEND system. Too many are falling through the cracks – at the cost of their happiness, wellbeing and future life chances.

“So it’s little surprise that parents feel deep anxiety and distrust about the upcoming education reforms. If their children’s legal rights are weakened any further or there’s an attempt to cut spending, the consequences could be devastating.”

Sense is calling on ministers to ensure that the needs of disabled children with complex needs are properly understood and fully addressed in any reform of the SEND system.

The charity, which is a member of the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP), warns that without robust legal rights and adequate funding, disabled children risk being left even further behind.

 “Instead, the government must listen to families and use this moment to build a properly funded SEND system, where children’s legal rights to education are protected,” Watson-O’Neill ended.

A Department for Education spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “Through our national conversation, we’ve heard from so many families who have been failed by the SEND system – with parents fighting for support and rising demand meaning children’s needs are spiralling to crisis point.

“Our reforms will restore parents’ trust by fixing what isn’t working in the system. We’re ending the postcode lottery by strengthening support for those who need it and protecting parents’ rights – shaped directly by the views and experiences of those who know the system best.

“We are laying the groundwork for an inclusive education system where children are supported at the earliest stage and can thrive in a school that meets their needs, close to home – including through £200 million to train all teachers on SEND and at least £3 billion to create 50,000 new specialist places.”