Suffolk SEND mums call for better support and provisions
It comes a year after a report outlined severe failings in the county's special educational needs and disabilities provisions
The mum of a SEND child from Suffolk says more still needs to be done to improve the county's special needs services.
It comes a year after a report from Ofsted and the CQC was released, outlining severe failings in Suffolk County Council's special educational needs and disabilities provisions.
"Where do we go from here?"
Leila Mathieson, from Felixstowe, is fighting to get her four year old daughter Millie into school: "You think if you're child's got additional needs, they'll get additional help - that's not the case.
"To a certain extent you do, but if you don't have anybody advocating for you, as much as you advocate for your child and you shout from the rooftops, you're going to be left in that hole.
"That's where Millie is.... No therapy, no school no help, no personal budget.
"Where do we go from here?
"I so desperately want her to go to school, but no units will take her, mainstream won't take her.
"One school said they could keep her safe and another said she wasn't disabled enough."
"It's that constant fight"
Nikki Graham, from Bury St Edmunds, managed to get her children specialist SEND provision - after a long fight: "My children luckily now have really good packages.
"They're both in alternative provision and the staff that work with them are amazing.
"The children have come on so far, but it's that constant fight - every time we get to an annual review and the council gets involved it's that frustration and anger - you know it's not going to be simple.
"That's not how it's supposed to be. We're all meant to be a team around our children to make sure they have the best future they can possibly have."
What's the county council doing to help?
The county council released a report last month that it says will serve as a 'blueprint for change' for its SEND services.
The 177-page document looks into current arrangements, future anticipated need and looks at gaps and challenges in SEND provision.
It did find 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.
It also highlights the increasing demand for SEND services in the county, the challenges faced by families and professionals, and the importance of improving service provision to ensure equitable outcomes for all.
Finally, it proposes a series of recommendations to further shape improvements to SEND services.