Belper family says council is failing son, five, with SEND

A mum has said her five-year-old son, who has special educational needs, is being failed by their local authority.

Laura, from Belper in Derbyshire, said she has been waiting 40 weeks - double the legal deadline - to get a care plan for her son.

Derbyshire County Council said it was working to improve its performance.

A BBC Freedom of Information Request has revealed the authority has missed the deadline for care plans in 96% of cases so far in 2023.

Laura said her son had started school in September 2021 and the school had flagged he needed more support not long after.

The council rejected her initial request for an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) - a legal document that sets out a child's needs and what support they require.

After they conceded, following an appeal, her son was assessed by an educational psychologist.

However, Laura said she had not had any information since.

"It's difficult to get through on the phone," she said.

"Any emails I send to children's services are met with 'It's in a queue, we're working through the queue at the moment'.

"And each complaint we've sent is just, 'We acknowledge the fact the deadlines have lapsed, we're very sorry'. They cite staffing issues.

"It's incredibly stressful.

"Those problems that we encountered [with my son] at the end of April last year, they are significantly magnified now.

"He doesn't spend a lot of time in the classroom any more; it's difficult for him to cope in class.

"He's becoming very isolated which worries me, because his wellbeing is suffering now."

Following a Freedom of Information Request, the authority said it had missed the 20-week deadline in getting an EHCP for children with conditions such as autism and ADHD in almost every case this year so far.

Sarah Sage, an education and disability needs advocate at Sunshine Support, an organisation which helps parents who need support for their children, said she was concerned about the delays.

"A lot of the parents that come to us... are struggling to get that plan," she said.

"There has been an issue across the UK with an educational psychologist shortage, but I work with a lot of Derbyshire cases.

"I know that from talking to parents, one of the huge challenges we're facing [is] we can't contact anyone at Derbyshire County Council.

"Complaints aren't being responded to in a timely manner, case workers have become really difficult to get hold of.

"All everybody wants is the best for their children; that is what a EHCP comes down to.

"To know that this is going on for 40 weeks plus, children are losing a year of their education - that's huge."

In a statement, the council said: "Derbyshire has had a significant increase in the number of requests for Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCPs).

"This is a national issue and other local authorities and services are facing similar increases in demand, as well challenges recruiting the specialist staff required to produce and feed into the plans.

"Producing an EHCP requires a partnership approach with input from a number of agencies.

"As a result of the very high levels of demand, as well as other challenges, we acknowledge that Derbyshire's performance in completing EHCPs within the 20-week deadline has not been good enough.

"We are extremely sorry for any children, families and schools who are being negatively affected and we are working very hard to improve our performance."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Our special educational needs and alternative provision improvement plan sets out how we will make sure all children and young people, and particularly those with an Education, Health and Care Plan, receive the support they need.

"We are putting significant investment into the high needs budget, which will be worth £10.1bn by 2023-24, a rise of over 50% over four years, and are working to make sure there is earlier intervention, consistent high standards and less bureaucracy where children do need additional support."

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