Today (Monday 23 February), the UK Government has published its Schools White Paper, which include a series of proposals for reforming the way in which children and young people in England with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) access support.
Through the reforms, the government is seeking to bring about a more inclusive education system which meets the needs of more children with SEND in mainstream nurseries, schools and colleges. Ministers plan to introduce new tiers of support – universal, targeted, targeted plus and specialist – restricting access to education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to only those with the most complex needs.
In a campaign win for Together for Short Lives, the government has announced that it plans to introduce a fast-track route to specialist support and an EHCP for children under five years of age with identified complex needs. This is something we have long called for.
Reacting to the proposed reforms, Nick Carroll, Chief Executive of Together for Short Lives, said:
“Being able to access education, make friends and form relationships are ordinary yet vital outcomes that many seriously ill children aspire to. Yet too often these ordinary experiences remain out of reach because families face a system that is lengthy, complicated and adversarial.
“I welcome the government’s ambition to provide earlier, more tailored support, and the investment in improving mainstream provision and specialist services. Spent well, this money could make a significant difference to children and young people across the country.
“Introducing a fast-track route to EHCPs and specialist support for children under the age of five with identified complex needs is particularly positive. I am grateful to ministers and officials for listening to us and the families we work with.”
Ministers also aim to introduce new individual support plans (ISPs) for all children and young people with SEND. These plans will be flexible, digital documents, with a statutory duty on settings to ensure they are recorded and monitored.
Elsewhere, the proposed reforms seek to:
- Establish new national inclusion standards.
- Enhance mainstream access to specialist support through investment in an ‘experts at hand’ offer.
- Bolster the educational psychologist and speech and language therapy workforces.
However, we have some concerns. For many seriously ill children, an EHCP is vital and that enables them to access education. Introducing assessments at certain transition points risks adding more anxiety and uncertainty to families’ lives.
Nick Carroll said:
“Alongside our colleagues in the Disabled Children’s Partnership, I share deep concerns about proposals to restrict EHCPs to only the ‘most complex’ needs and to require reassessments at key transition points. For many seriously ill children, an EHCP is essential to securing the education they are entitled to.
“Without clear reassurance that every child whose needs cannot be met by their setting will still be able to access an EHCP, families will face greater anxiety and uncertainty.“
“Together for Short Lives will continue to work closely with families, our members, the Disabled Children’s Partnership and government to ensure the reforms genuinely work for seriously ill children and their families.”