Suffolk County Council cabinet member for SEND asked about delayed EHCP annual reviews
Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for SEND has put the high numbers of overdue reviews into support plans for children partly down to the involvement of multiple stages and groups.
Cllr Rachel Hood, cabinet member for education, SEND and skills, was asked at a cabinet meeting yesterday how many parents affected by late annual reviews into education, health and care plans (EHCPs) had been offered another date.
The question, by Suffolk town councillor and Liberal Democrat spokesperson Adam Robertson, was based on the finding that about the 3,026 annual reviews were overdue by the end of November 2022 – about 40 percent of the total reviews required.
EHCPs lay out the support a child with SEND needs and how this will be provided. These are required by law, as are annual reviews into them.
Cllr Hood responded: “The annual review is more than just a meeting – it is a process.
“The process includes a meeting between the school and the family to discuss a child’s progress against the EHCP.
“It also involves the submission of a report from the school, which includes recommendations from the council about next steps.
“The final part of the process is when the council notifies the parents or carers about the decision, following the recommendations contained within the report.
“For the vast majority of children and young people, there will have been a meeting with the child, their family and the school to review the EHCP and make recommendations to the council.
“The numbers indicate the council is over the timescales. The council acknowledges the importance of ensuring annual reviews are fully completed within the timescales.
“Over 2,000 families have had their annual reviews progressed since a recovery plan of August 2022.
“This recovery plan will continue to be a priority with further resource being identified to enable the team to keep pace with the ever-increasing volume of new annual reviews arriving.”
Mr Robertson said after the meeting: “Cllr Hood hasn’t answered my question about how many parents with children who have overdue annual reviews have been contacted to start the process.
“She mentioned a recovery plan in 2022. Systematic failures are happening if you need a new plan every year to get out of crisis.
“I understand where Cllr Hood is coming from when she says an annual review is a process with multiple stages.
“But at the end of the day, Suffolk County Council is the lead principal authority with responsibility over SEND and Cllr Hood is the cabinet portfolio holder.”
Mr Robertson was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at a young age and grew up in Suffolk’s SEND system.
A review into SEND provision in Suffolk by a team in Lincolnshire was undertaken in June 2021 and an action plan was drawn up to fulfil the recommendations from the review.
Since 2021, the council agreed the delivery of 1,317 new specialist places either in new schools or units linked to mainstream schools by 2026, and 826 of these new places are now open across Suffolk.
