Cause and Effect
Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson
If you’ve followed our work with the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) and its flagship campaign #FightForOrdinary you’ll understand why we’ve been nervously awaiting the release of the Government’s Schools White Paper which is set to include detail on what reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system may look like.
Ever since a Department For Education adviser said back in May that Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) were not fit for purpose, families have been left in the dark about what potential reforms could mean for their disabled children. EHCPs spell out the extra support young people need in nursery, school or college but also at home, who will provide that support and who will pay for it.
For the 250,000 young people currently in mainstream schools with their own EHCP, talk of scrapping these important documents has prompted deep alarm. EHCPs are not optional extras but vital legal protections - many families have told us that losing them would be catastrophic.
Together with the DCP, we had been prepping strategic communications activity for the white paper’s launch in early November.
However, at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon the news reached us that it had been pushed back to “early in the new year” with Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson reasoning government needs more time to “test policy options” with families, teachers and other key stakeholders.
Our first reaction - mirrored by so many in the SEND community - was one of pure frustration given thousands of families are already living under a grey cloud of uncertainty. As Cause’s own director and SEND parent, Sam Carlisle said: “Imagine being a 12 year old with cerebral palsy or autism. Your entire school life will have been spent with governments reviewing then delaying reform to your education.”
Looking at the delay from a more positive angle, we acknowledge that taking time to get complex reform right is prudent. SEND provision in the UK is widely recognised as being completely broken and isn’t something that can be fixed over night.
Our campaign work with the DCP
Back to tactics and the DCP has quickly become the media’s go-to organisation for commentary around SEND issues. We responded swiftly to news of the delay, issuing a statement from Anna Bird, chair of the Disabled Children's Partnership, to the media far and wide.
Anna stated that it was "deeply frustrating for parents who need an end to the uncertainty swirling around Send provision when their lives are complex enough" adding that it was "important that the government takes time to make the right decisions". She welcomed efforts "to listen to and learn from young people, families and charities".
So far her comments have been covered by the BBC, The i newspaper and Daily Mail as well as hitting the Press Association's newswire putting the DCP firmly at the centre of this debate.
Moving forward this delay underlines the importance of sustained advocacy and together with the DCP we will continue to make the voices of SEND families heard.
The delay to SEND reform may offer time to get things right but only if the Government uses it to protect rights and deliver real change. Meanwhile, those waiting for decisions and support cannot be left in limbo any longer.