'Urgent action needed on SEND children's services in Devon'

The department was rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted in 2020, and Devon was recently also given an official government improvement notice for its services for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

My postbag includes missives from concerned parents who are simply trying to ensure their children get the educational support they need to fulfil their potential.

I have had parents get in touch whose children have been spending months out of the classroom because they cannot get properly assessed for a SEND placement. And yet even when they are assessed, Devon lacks the number of SEND placements and facilities to properly provide the help these children need.

This is causing damage not just to their learning, but also to the health and wellbeing of their parents who are trying to make things better.

Earlier this month we saw a protest outside County Hall, organised by Devon SEND Parents & Carers for Change, to voice their frustrations at the lack of change.

The councillor at Devon County Council who is responsible for Children’s Services writes that: “While I am happy to be held to account, I urge people not to simply throw stones”. This is as if those throwing stones were people in ‘glass houses’. Yet it is more a case of a SEND emergency – and in cases of emergency, we may need to break glass.

We need clearer political leadership to properly get to grips with this issue and deliver the vital services that our children deserve. It’s clear that the oversight simply wasn’t there when these problems started developing and it needs fixing - fast.

We also need action from the Conservative Government in Westminster to properly fund our councils, which will enable greater resources to be put into improving children’s services.

The longer we wait, the more our children’s learning is disrupted. We cannot keep failing them like this. We need to see real change.