In 2014 the SEND reforms were launched by the UK Government seeking to replace the then statement of special needs system for the EHCP system (Education, Health and Care Plan) in England. Local Authorities across the England were given the deadline of converting the then 237000 statements of special educational needs to the new EHCP system by the 1st April 2018.
So how are our Local Authorities doing and more to the point how is this affecting children and young people who require the support from the Local Authority?

This week the excellent SEN Jungle published their article about this exact topic and it is well worth a read.

The article highlights how many children and young people have been caught in a system that has been trying to change for four years.

In 2014, when the new reforms where introduced there were 237,000 children with statements of special educational need according to data from the Department For Education (click here).

The article shows that it is expected that many of the Local Authorities will miss the deadline for transferring current statements children to that of the EHCP, on the 1st April 2018.

The Dept of Education data shows that between January 2016 and January 2017, there were 59,545 children and young people transferred to the 'new' EHCP system. This is equivalent to 32.7% of of the children and young people with statements that were in place as at January 2016.

This is a concern as the rate of conversion seems to be too slow to meet the deadline and so presumably there must be a knock on effect in terms of actual support for those involved.

As at January 2017, the Dept of Education states that there was a further 12.1% increase in conversion on the 2016 figures. The figures also state that the largest demographic to be affected by this is the 11-15 age group.

It is thought that there are currently 47,000 children and young people waiting to be transferred over.

Click here to view an interactive map showing the progress of the

Local Authorities across the UK.

The Department of Education do stress that there should not be a loss of support for children and young people with SEN just because of the delays in transfer from one system to the other and they are keen to stress that the EHCP system will be better, but certainly from conversations that I have had with parents with children under the current system, the experience is not great although in some cases there are good outcomes.

I will leave you to read the rest of the SEN Jungle report, but I am curious as to what your experience has been of either system and how much progress you are seeing in the transfer?

I would also be keen to understand how much information you have regarding EHCPs and your understanding of the legal rights associated for support of your child.

Find out more here. Book your place today. Click here

In April, the SEN Jigsaw Conference will have a workshop being led by solicitor, Andrew Barrowclough regarding the legal expectations for parents surrounding EHCPs. If you are unsure of where you stand then this could be a good opportunity for you to find out more, talk with other parents and feel empowered to challenge your Local Authority on the progress of support being offered your child.