Mother Alleges Council Failure After Son Misses Year of School Due to Special Education Plan Delay

A mother whose 15-year-old son has special educational needs stated that her family was “failed” by a local council, leading to her son missing over a year of schooling while awaiting a necessary care plan. The boy, who lives with ADHD, autism, and additional learning difficulties, experienced a 12-month delay in receiving an education, health and care plan (EHCP), despite the standard issuance timeframe being 20 weeks. The Lancashire family, whose identity is being withheld, also expressed their belief that timely additional support within the school environment could have enabled their son to continue in mainstream education. Lancashire County Council commented that individual cases are intricate and “can contribute towards delays when combined with demand and capacity issues.” An EHCP is designed for children and young people up to the age of 25 requiring a greater level of support than that provided by standard special educational needs provisions. This plan details the specific additional support required and is meant to be issued by a council within 20 weeks; however, recent government data indicates that thousands of individuals are experiencing longer waits than prescribed. Current data reveals that in north-west England, 13,006 individuals possess an EHCP, yet only 7,379 of these were issued within the stipulated timeframe. “You feel like no one is listening to you,” the mother stated. She added, “I begged and begged for an educational psychologist to go into the school before it got to the stage where my son was out of school.” “Every child matters and everyone deserves the right for an education that is right for them and that is where I think we’ve been failed,” she concluded. The teenager currently receives nine hours of home tutoring weekly, but he expressed concern regarding his future prospects. “It’s hard, especially now I’ve been out of school a long time,” he commented. He further explained, “It makes it even harder for me to go back, but it also comes with a lot of disadvantages for me, especially socially.” Lancashire County Council confirmed that the family was issued an EHCP on 14 November, following their application in October of the previous year. A statement from the council read: “We deeply value every child’s unique needs and are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), can thrive.” The statement continued: “Nationally, there is a huge increase in the number of children seeking SEND support along with a growing demand.” “Cases often tend to be complex, which can contribute towards delays when combined with demand and capacity issues,” the council added. “This is a challenge that local authorities up and down the country are facing,” the statement concluded. The government announced an additional £1bn in funding for SEND support in the October budget. The Department for Education commented: “We are determined to rebuild families’ confidence in a system so many rely on.” It added: “The reform families are crying out for will take time, but with a greater focus on mainstream inclusion and more early intervention, we will deliver the change that is so desperately needed.”