Kirklees Council needs to do better for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
That’s the outcome of the latest inspection report by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The report found long waits, “inconsistent” outcomes and experiences, poor quality Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and a lack of clarity and communication for families.
Services are delivered by Kirklees Council and the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and the last inspection in 2022 found “significant areas of weakness.”
An action plan for improvement was drawn up and the latest report just published says improvements have been made but more progress is needed.
Mental health services for children and young people have been a problem in Kirklees for many years and that was highlighted in the findings.
The report says: “Long waits for some health services negatively impact meeting children and young people’s needs.
“This includes therapeutic services, the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS), wheelchair services and receiving a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental need.
“This means that children and young people with SEND do not consistently receive the support they need at the right time.”
The report contained positives too and leaders were praised for having “high ambitions” for SEND youngsters.
Occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists were also commended for their “compassionate and considered” care.
In a joint statement Clr Viv Kendrick (above), Kirklees Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services and Clr Jane Rylah, Cabinet member for education, said: “We are ambitious for every child and family in Kirklees.
“While we welcome national reform of the SEND system, we are not waiting for it.
“We are actively seeking new ways to improve the experiences and long-term outcomes of all children and young people with SEND, helping them to thrive and fulfil their potential.
“The report praises the compassion and dedication of professionals working across our local area.
“It also recognises the high ambition of leaders and the progress already being made, including the fact that the voices of children, young people and families are central to decision making.
“There is a vast range of partnership work ongoing. This includes major investment in the rebuilding of two special schools, simplifying the ways families access support and strengthening collaboration between schools in supporting children’s individual needs.
“At the same time we recognise there is more to do, particularly in improving consistency across the system.
“For example, we want every child to access the best possible educational experience and we are committed to reducing waiting times for support.
“Action was already under way in each area needing to be addressed and an updated plan will be published within the next few weeks.
“This will continue to drive improvements and deliver meaningful change for children, young people and their families.”
Political opponents, however, were not convinced and Clr Habiban Zaman, a spokesman for the Community Alliance group on Kirklees Council, condemned the system as “failing too many children and families, and failing them repeatedly.”
She added: “The SEND report exposes a broken system – and our children deserve better.
“This report confirms what many families and professionals have been telling us for years.
“Too many children are being left behind – stuck on waiting lists, falling through the cracks or forced out of school because the support simply isn’t there.
“This isn’t about individual practitioners – this is a failure of leadership and co-ordination.
“We’ve had enough plans, enough audits. What we need now is proper funding, joined-up working and real accountability.
“This report is a warning shot – but also an opportunity. We owe it to every young person with SEND to act now.”
