Next government needs to reset Send system

At some point over the next 12 months, we’ll find ourselves heading into a general election where each party will set out their manifestos. For those of us in children’s services, we will be scrutinising what is being said about important issues such as child poverty, children’s mental health and local government funding. There are multiple priority areas that need urgent attention and focus nationally, however, I have been reflecting on what the immediate priorities for an incoming government should be.

The pressures in children’s services have been well documented and there is a plethora of evidence showing how demand continues to rise. However, we lack a funding settlement that recognises these pressures. Like many other sectors, the impacts of the pandemic are still being felt and will remain for years to come. We are seeing this in terms of greater complexity of need as well as new children and families coming into contact with children’s services. The pressures are being felt by all local authorities up and down the country and whilst our whole workforce is doing an inspirational job in keeping children and young people safe, we are operating in an increasingly difficult environment. Providing a proper, long term and sustainable funding settlement for children’s services must be a priority for any new government. Over a decade of austerity has resulted in local authority budgets being cut in half, forcing us to cut many of the services that allow us to support children and families early. This is a false economy which only stores up problems for the future.

Another area of priority focus must be on addressing the growing pressures in the SEND system. The system needs a reset to make it work better for all children and young people and to reduce the insurmountable costs that we are seeing threaten the financial sustainability of local authorities. The intended outcomes of the 2014 reforms have not been delivered, in part due to underfunding, with the number of education, health and care plans growing year on year and capital investment in new special schools not keeping pace with demand. Part of the solution would be to change the accountability system in our mainstream schools so that they are incentivised and appropriately funded to be more inclusive of all children, including those with additional needs. With the system as it is, there is a growing reliance on more costly independent specialist provision. Despite record levels of spending, more and more people are dissatisfied with how the system is working, something that has been acknowledged by the government.

Any incoming government must prioritise making this a country that works for all children. It must invest long-term in children, their families and the public services that support them and take a holistic approach to improving their lives. Local government can be transformative when at its best, but there is much out of our control such as growing levels of child poverty. We need a national government that is just as committed as we are to making change.

Andy Smith, ADCS Vice President

This column was first published in LGC in November 2023

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