Councils have raised a raft of concerns around the Government's plans to overhaul the special education needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
A survey of 54 councils published by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the County Councils Network (CCN) raised concerns around the timescales involved, accountability of local government and whether the reforms will improve the financial sustainability of services.
The Government's overhaul of the SEND system, which was unveiled earlier this year, includes replacing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which legally guarantee support for children, with a tiered system.
However, fewer than half (43%) of councils believe the Government's overhaul of the SEND system will ‘lead to a more financially sustainable system'.
Just over half believed reform will improve partnership working and fewer than two in five believed it ‘would lead to a role for local government that was clear, achievable and would add value'.
The Government's reform agenda is being phased in, with timelines for delivery over the next decade.
Just under half of councils believe the timescales involved are ‘too ambitious', particularly elements around providing specialist support to children and boosting inclusion in the early years sector. However, one in five believed the timescales involved were ‘too slow' and felt ‘frustratingly sluggish'.
Another concern raised by some councils was a ‘very significant surge' in demand for EHCP assessments from families before they are replaced by legislation in 2029. In some cases, requests for assessments have already increased by a third. The LGA and CNN warned that if this trend continued there was a ‘very real risk' that the number of children with a plan in place may have ‘vastly outstripped' the Government's current growth projections.
Despite the concerns, four in five councils believed the reforms would ‘lead to better outcomes for children and young people'.
SEND spokesperson for the CCN Cllr Bill Revans called on the Government to ‘set out how it intends to absorb' deficits accrued by councils and ‘extreme rises in demand'.
