Parents of Send children 'screaming into a void'

Two Cornwall councillors have told of the difficulties of accessing support as parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

Labour councillor Kate Ewert said it was like "screaming into a void", while her Conservative colleague James Mustoe described navigating the system as like "banging your head against a brick wall". Both councillors have children with autism.

A scrutiny meeting heard discussion about Cornwall Council's Celebrating Neurodiversity Strategy on Wednesday.

Director for education and community health Kate Evan-Hughes said the authority was trying to influence change in schools "that are perhaps not living the inclusion message".

The council said the strategy aimed at improving the development and experiences of children and young people with Send.

The meeting heard work had mostly focused on a new neurodevelopmental profiling tool and the introduction of a neurodevelopmental hub in the first year of the strategy, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Council officers said more than 2,000 professionals including school staff, health visitors and council officers had been trained in use of the tool.

Mustoe and Ewert were critical of the system but they acknowledged council officers were doing all they could.

Mustoe said: "My experience is that you have to actually get schools – without naming any in particular – to not just say that they're doing these things, but actually show that they're doing it every day... because it's not happening."

Ewert agreed: "The school my child attends – they've done all the training, they've done all the outreach, they've ticked all the boxes but they cannot meet his needs, or any other child with neurodiverse needs, because they're not putting any of it into practise.

"I've asked the SENDCO [special educational needs and disabilities coordinator] in our school and other schools in our area if they know about this tool - not a single one of them have heard about it."

The BBC has asked the Department of Education for comment.

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