Ofsted finds SEND children and families 'at crisis point' amid widespread failings in Suffolk
ITV News Anglia's Russell Hookey reports on the "significant concerns" raised in a damning Ofsted report
A hard-hitting inspectors' report has identified widespread failings in education for children with special needs and disabilities in Suffolk.
The Ofsted report warns of "significant concerns" and highlights children getting "lost in the system" and families left at crisis point as they are forced to wait too long for services like autism assessment and diagnosis.
It calls for failings to be addressed urgently and the body which is responsible for SEND education in the county has been told it must prepare an action plan.
A further inspection will be carried out in 18 months to assess whether improvements have been made.
The report has been welcomed by families representatives who said: "This sad reality has been the situation for too many, for too long."
The report into the Suffolk Area Local Partnership, which organises education and social care with the help of Suffolk County Council and other authorities, highlights the following points.
What are the main problems?
Long waiting times - children's needs are not identified quickly enough and when the right help came it was often not until a crisis had been reached;
Low achievement - children in Suffolk achieve less than similar pupils elsewhere, and are much more likely to be excluded and to find themselves not in education, employment or training (NEET);
Poor preparation for adulthood - children and young people do not receive good enough help, meaning they do not go into jobs or further education;
High levels of dissatisfaction among families of children with SEND caused by poor communication. Phone calls and emails are often left unanswered and parents feel their children are "lost in the system".
What needs to be improved?
Leadership - the report warns leaders are "not effective in using information" and that leadership has "not been joined up", resulting in disjointed services for young people.
Concerns about morale and workload - systemic gaps in identifying needs means a high number of families are "at crisis point" and staff end up firefighting problems;
Lack of communication - leaders do not do enough to work with parents and support groups such as the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, leaving families feeling taking their case to the Local Government Ombudsman can be the only solution;
Lack of residential special school provision for disabled young people.
Unacceptable delays in completing plans to guide a child's education, meaning the average wait is sometimes is twice what is should be.
What is being done well?
Improvements to speech and language therapy have cut waiting times, say inspectors;
Strong levels of capital investment have boosted the number of special schoolplaces;
Health teams are performing well, especially the neonatal physiotherapy service for premature babies with special needs;
Social care teams are working well and many schools and colleges praise their relationship with the LAP.
Analysis - Rob Setchell, ITV News Anglia
Nobody will have enjoyed reading this report.
For Suffolk County Council it is another grim account of its SEND failings, one which pours cold water on past promises of improvement.
And for parents and campaigners there is no joy in saying 'I told you so'. Many of them will feel they could have written it.
They know the impact of EHCP delays, inadequate support and the "widespread" lack of provision which leaves their children shut out of the education they deserve.
They know what "crisis point" looks and feels like. Seeing it written on paper that there are "high numbers of families" going through what they are won't offer any comfort.
The council recognises it needs to urgently fix the problems, improve the quality and timeliness of its EHCPs and reduce SEND exclusions. It has invested millions of pounds.
Council officers point out that Suffolk is 111th out of 151 local authorities for high needs funding. They say a child in Camden would get around £1,500 more in central funding.
But, while the county is not alone in battling what is a national crisis in SEND provision, the failures documented over the last decade show Suffolk's problems are particularly acute.
Councillor Rachel Hood, cabinet member for education, SEND provision and skills at Suffolk County Council, said: "The report is disappointing in some aspects though some of our progress has been recognised.
"We absolutely want to apologise to families who have been let down by the partnership and we want every child in Suffolk to have the experience they deserve."
She added there had been progress but that it was not yet enough, and that Suffolk was determined to improve further and step up the pace of reform.
Claire Smith, from the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum, said the report highlighted concerns that parents had voiced for years.
"Too many families are facing crisis. This sad reality has been the situation for too many, for too long.
"It is the hope of Suffolk Parent Carer Forum that this report will serve as a turning point with the priority action plan and £4.4m investment.
"The forum is keen to work with the improvement board and will continue to push for real change that will be felt by all families, giving Suffolk's children and young people the support and services they need, when they need them."
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