It’s been revealed that councils in England and Wales are spending over £150 million every year fighting parents in SEND tribunals. This is despite them losing 99% of them.
Government complains about ‘SEND blackhole’ but is blowing money
Local authorities are supposed to help the parents and families of disabled children in areas such as school support and getting an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). However, many are failing in their duties, with 25,000 appeals launched last year.
6,000 were settled before reaching the courts, and 14,000 reached tribunal level. Of those, fewer than 150 ruled in favour of the local authority.
An LBC study, using estimates from Pro Bono Economics, calculated that in total this will cost local authorities over £150 million a year. That’s a hell of a lot of money to spend when you have a 1% success rate.
At a time when local authorities are apparently struggling with the demand for SEND, this would’ve paid for the support of over 26,000 SEND kids in schools.
So whilst the government is pushing the narrative of a ‘SEND blackhole’, it’s constantly pissing money up the wall trying to deny kids support in the first place
Parents feel ‘gaslit’ by SEND system
Parents told the study that they feel “gaslit” by councils throughout the process. Some said that they think councils use the high cost of the tribunal process to deter families from seeking support. One parent even told LBC that the process caused so much stress that she was hospitalised.
The Local Government Association blamed this high figure on the wider problems within the education and SEND system. A white paper on SEND reform was supposed to be published last autumn, but education secretary Bridget Phillipson delayed it until “early in the new year”. Though God knows when that will be.
Parents fear the new white paper will mainly focus on cutting the cost of SEND provision by changing who can qualify for support. Proposals also include that schools as opposed to parents, will communicate with local authorities.
Parents fighting back
On 12 January, a campaign was launched by a coalition of campaign groups and well-known faces. This included Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper and Sally Phillips, who has a disabled son. Save Our Children’s Rights urges Keir Starmer not to take away children’s legal right to support.
Madeleine Cassidy, the chief executive of Ipsea, told the Guardian:
Weakening the Send legal framework would strip families of these protections, leaving many parents without recourse and risking undoing decades of hard-won progress toward inclusive and equitable education.
While it’s still unclear whether Phillipson plans to scrap EHCP’s, parents fear that the plans will be narrowed. This could mean that higher support needs children are eligible. As part of the SEND changes, many worry the right to appeal will also be removed. Which would certainly save the government some money, if how much they’re spending is anything to go on.
Government hates disabled people – even bloody kids
It’s absolutely ridiculous that the government wastes so much money fighting parents who just want the best for their kids. But it’s especially gross that they do this whilst pushing the narrative that parents are faking kids’ disabilities for support. It just shows that this government hates all disabled people, even bloody kids who are just trying to get through school.
Featured image via the Canary
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