Comment: SEND system in West Sussex is leaving children behind

By Jess Brown-Fuller MP

Last Friday, I met with a group of parents navigating the SEND system, ahead of the upcoming government White Paper on reforms. The meeting took place at the Boardwalk Café, a new charity-run space that is quickly becoming a favourite spot of mine.  

The parents represented a wide range of experiences, from those caring for profoundly disabled children to the “SEN-betweeners” - children who require extra support, but whose education can be managed in mainstream schools if the right resources are provided. 

Jess Brown-Fuller MP meeting parents navigating the SEND system.

What came through clearly was how much of a struggle the system remains for families. The word “fight” was used repeatedly to describe parents’ experiences. Many spoke of the lack of specialist provision, and more than half of the adults had given up their careers to care for their children because support wasn’t available to allow them to work. 

West Sussex County Council continues to fall short of its statutory obligations to provide Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) within the 20-week timeframe. While there have been some improvements (the number of EHCPs issued within 20 weeks has doubled over a couple of years), eight in ten families still don’t receive their plan on time: and when they do, errors and inconsistencies remain a serious problem. Praise is premature until families are fully supported through a process that can feel adversarial and alienating. 

Other issues raised included school-to-school transitions, the availability of respite care, school transport, and parents’ confidence in the system. 

These conversations are invaluable and feed into my wider work on SEND, including meetings with local schools, roundtables with headteachers and SENDCOs, and discussions with Chichester University about inclusive teacher training. I will continue to meet with parents across the constituency to understand the real-world challenges of a system that too often fails to serve children and families effectively.  

SEND remains a critical issue, and I hope that the upcoming White Paper will offer reforms that are thoughtful, well-planned, and provide the support families so desperately need.