Send crisis in England risks creating ‘lost generation’ of children
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Many local authorities facing bankruptcy as government criticised for lack of urgency. The crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in England risks creating a “lost generation” of children, while putting “almost half” of all councils with an education remit in danger of bankruptcy within 15 months, parliament’s spending watchdog has warned.
MPs on the public accounts committee (PAC) expressed frustration with the government’s lack of progress in resolving the crisis, and complained their inquiry had found “no sense of urgency” among officials. As well as failing to deliver better outcomes for children, the Department for Education was criticised by the PAC for “being unable to provide” any potential solution to the “existential threat” to the financial status of many local authorities.
A damning report, published on Wednesday, found too many families struggling to access Send support in a system that “inherently favours” parents and carers who are better able to navigate an often “chaotic and adversarial process”. Families are at the mercy of a postcode lottery, the PAC has said, with wide variation in waiting times for education, health and care (EHC) plans – the legally binding documents that detail the additional support a child with usually quite severe special needs requires.
