Somerset Council calls for new legislation or more money to tackle SEND 'crisis'
Watch as parents and teachers talk to ITV News' Ben McGrail about the SEND 'crisis'.
Somerset Council has called on the government to change the law or increase funding to help local authorities better support children with special educational needs (SEND).
It comes amid a warning from the Local Government Association (LGA) that the system is "failing" and in "urgent need of reform".
Councillor Heather Shearer, cabinet member for children, families and education at Somerset Council, said: "It will take a long time to change legislation but they have to look at what they can do - either small fixes in the short-term or give us the funding that actually goes with these services we're trying to provide."
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says she is "determined to rebuild families’ confidence in a system so many rely on".
A report published by the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned the SEND system is "financially unsustainable" and "in urgent need of reform".
Councillor Arooj Shah, chair of the local government association’s children and young people board, said: “This report is yet another indictment of a failing SEND system that is not meeting the care and support needs of children with special needs."
Cllr Shah said he is concerned many councils will face a "financial cliff-edge" if the system is not reformed.
He added: “In next week’s budget, we are hoping that the government will set out how it will reform and adequately fund the SEND system, so children get the support they desperately need."
Cllr Shearer said many children in Somerset with special educational needs are either without a school place or have been assigned a place their family feels is not right for them.
She said this has left many parents and teachers feeling "quite beleaguered".
"They can see what they need, but they're running at full pace all the time and, whatever government, they feel they're not being supported," she said.
Cllr Shearer has called on the government to provide further support to local authorities, and said the council is doing all it can to tackle the issue in the short-term.
She added: "We'll call on the government to support us but we also have to do the things that are free or cheaper - that is if we can keep our arms around our own employees and ensure that they communicate well, they build all those relationships with parents - that should make, at least, a small difference."
"We have to keep our children in the front of our minds. They've only got one chance at an education and we have to help," she added.
The Education Secretary said: "The NAO’s report exposes a system that has been neglected to the point of crisis, with children and families with SEND quite simply being failed on every measure.
"There will be no more sticking plaster politics and short-termism when it comes to the life chances of some of our most vulnerable children.
"The reform families are crying out for will take time, but with a greater focus on mainstream provision and more early intervention, we will deliver the change that is so desperately needed."