Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 12
12
At the time of writing, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020,...
Conclusion
At the time of writing, the Special Educational Needs and Disability (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020, which temporarily modify the time limits in relation to EHC assessment and Plans, were due to expire on 25 September. This will add further pressure to local authorities already facing the huge challenge of dealing with an inevitable backlog of cases. The Department must set out a clear national strategy for managing the backlog of EHC assessments and Plans, to ensure children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities get the support they need, within the statutory timescales. It should also set out in guidance to local authorities clear criteria for prioritising EHC cases. (Paragraph 60) Parliamentary review
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
32. We are continuing to work with individual local authorities to provide ongoing support with their continued response to the pandemic. The focus of the support provided to each local authority will be based on their specific issues, which may include their plans for managing EHC needs assessment cases at risk of becoming overdue. We are working with partners to identify good practice within local areas, so that we can use this to develop and target our delivery support offer to local areas. 33. The Minister for Children and Families has commissioned Ofsted and CQC to undertake a series of joint ‘interim visits’ to local areas, which are taking place during the period that routine Ofsted/CQC Area SEND inspections have been paused due to the pandemic. The purpose of the interim visits is to support local areas to understand the impact of the pandemic on children and young people with SEND, find out what has worked well and identify learning to be shared. Inspectors are focussing on children and young people’s access to the right support at the right time, including remotely where necessary. Learning from the visits, alongside positive case studies, will be published in national reports. The findings will provide an insight into how well the SEND system is working and contribute to the development of the inspection framework for the second cycle of Area SEND inspections.