A year on: Have Suffolk County Council’s special needs services improved?

A year on from a damning report, have Suffolk's special needs services improved?

After Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) released a report outlining failings within Suffolk's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision last year, Suffolk County Council decided to reshuffle its cabinet, with Cllr Andrew Reid taking over as the lead for SEND on February 6.

Just last month, a report published by the council and its partners compared navigating the system to an 'unplanned journey without a map or compass'.

Leila Mathieson, of Felixstowe, and Nikki Graham, of Bury St Edmunds, are both mums to children with SEND and have explained their struggle in getting the care their children need as well as the emotional scarring the experience leaves behind.

The council has refused requests for a video interview and has not commented.

Last month's report found the number of education, health and care plans (EHCP) delivered within the 20-week statutory period had increased to 32 per cent halfway through last year, up from just 3.9 per cent in 2023 but still below the national average.

Paediatric occupational therapy and physiotherapy were considered 'relatively good' but the report warned other services were facing pressures with many children and young people still waiting too long, some as long as two years for ADHD and autism treatment.

According to Claire Smith, the chairwoman of the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, a charity formed by parents to shape and improve services in Suffolk, there have been some positive changes over the past year.

These include welcome changes to health and care plans and some parents feeling heard by Sarah-Jane Smedmor, the executive director of Children's Services.

However, Ms Smith added, there was still more to be done, with many parents still living with the distress of not knowing where their child would go to school.

She added: "Too many are waiting too long for [education]and too many are not getting their annual reviews and support into adulthood.

"Not all schools follow these legally binding EHCPs and the local authority is not doing enough to secure the provision or provide the education the child or young person is legally entitled to.

"Whilst capacity has been increased at the council, not everyone has experienced the benefit of that yet — there is much to be done by way of training."