The Department for Education (DfE) intervened in Birmingham City Council's SEND services in October 2021 after a 2021 inspection found that nearly all critical issues identified in 2018 had seen no progress. This intervention, the first of its kind for a SEND service, highlighted severe dysfunction within the council, particularly in the EHCP processes, and was compounded by high staff turnover.
The most recent report was written in February 2024, but not published until August. This report will now be brought to Cabinet for tomorrow’s meeting. The report detailed a lack of progress made in SEND, stating “All of the above were essential and agreed recommendations which have not progressed well enough if at all.”. No reason is given for the delay to the development of a new SEND strategy between Schools and the LA, nor is any indication given of what forward action on this vital might look like.
Cllr Adam Higgs (Con, Highters Heath), Shadow Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, said:
The information in this report is now 9 months out of date, so we would expect significant progress to have been made since then. That is nothing more than what parents deserve in this situation. Unfortunately, I expect we’ll see more dither and delay from Labour, with parents and children being adversely affected. SEND needs reform in Birmingham, but that reform needs to create a service where parents aren’t treated as expensive problems to be dealt with. The service must be child-centric, and recognise that parents know their child best, and must be listened too
