The National Autistic Society (NAS) says that parents are finding it harder to get support under the new system and has published new research showing widespread dissatisfaction from parents about the new way of working.
The government’s reforms were introduced a year ago and saw the new EHCPs replacing the system of SEN Statements and School Action. EHCPs cover a young person from age 0 to 25 and the aim is to make it simpler for families to get support and navigate the system – and to help different agencies to work together more effectively.
However, the NAS says that the reforms, which it describes as “promising”, are being let down by local implementation and is calling for the government to carry out a systematic review.
The charity quotes government figures suggesting that parents of SEN children are finding it harder to get support now, with the number of Statements or EHCPs issued in 2014 actually being lower than in previous years.
Furthermore, 15 per cent of children and young people on Statements who had reviews in 2014 did not receive an EHCP – putting them at risk of falling through the net and missing out on crucial SEN support.
The government has already acknowledged problems with the new system when it recently extended the statutory time limits for transfers from Statements to EHCPs from 16 to 20 weeks.
NAS research involving 1,431 parents of children with autism found that just over a third had been through the new system. Of these, only 23 per cent were satisfied. Almost half were dissatisfied.
The research said: “Many feel let down by the new process of applying for statutory support, which they say is extremely stressful and in many cases took longer than the 20-week legal limit.”
The reforms also require local authorities to publish a “Local Offer”, which outlines the support that is available for SEN children in the local area – regardless of whether they have an EHCP or not.
However, only a third of the parents had seen their Local Offer. Of those who had seen it, only
40 per cent found it easy to access information about the support for autistic children.
There are around 120,000 school-aged children on the autism spectrum in England, the vast majority in mainstream schools, and the NAS says that many of them rely on the SEN system to get the support they need.
The NAS survey did find that once parents got their EHCP they were “generally satisfied with it”.
Jody Coxon has two sons – Cameron, 13, and Harry, 10 – who receive specialist support. Cameron has Asperger syndrome and Harry is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD. In Harry’s case, they have been waiting almost nine months for the transfer to an EHCP, well outside statutory limits.
Jody explained: “We had two vastly different experiences with the old SEN system. We managed to get a SEN Statement for my youngest in just 12 weeks but we had to go to a Tribunal to get support for my eldest.
“While there’s been some delays transferring my youngest son onto the new system, I trust the school staff and am not too worried. The school and local authority must be under a lot of pressure transferring statements while also assessing new requests for support. My son is doing well at an autism-specific school so I don’t mind waiting if it means that those parents desperate for support get help sooner.”
Mark Lever, chief executive of the NAS, said: “The new SEN system isn’t yet delivering the high-quality education that every child deserves. Far too many parents are still having to fight tooth and nail for the right support for their children, often facing long and incredibly stressful delays.
“Every day a child spends without the right education reduces their potential to succeed in life and become part of a strong and diverse UK workforce.
“If the government is serious about its commitment to halving the disability employment gap it needs to start in schools.
“We want the government to conduct a systematic review of local authorities’ implementation of the new system and to take any necessary action to make sure families are listened to and children receive support within a reasonable time.
“The new SEN system has the potential to transform the prospects of a generation of children and young people on the spectrum. It’s too important for the government not to get it right.”