Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities have the capacity and resources to meet their targets for providing Education, Health and Care plan assessments.

This year, local authorities have access to £51.3 billion to deliver their core services, including special educational needs and disability (SEND) services. Local authorities have the flexibility to spend according to local needs and priorities, including to undertake education, health and care needs assessments.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is responsible for local government funding including funding necessary to meet their statutory duties.

The Department for Education has been supporting local authorities to meet their statutory duties for SEND, including by providing challenge and support to those local authorities where there are long-standing delays. Each year, the department also delivers a training programme to local authorities, health, and social care staff on their statutory duties, as well as funding projects to support children with SEND.

Furthermore, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) continue with their full inspection programme and our team of SEND advisers and colleagues in NHS England are continuing to provide support and challenge to help improve performance. Depending on the underlying issues that each authority faces in this regard, the department commissions specialist support from our delivery partners or facilitate/fund peer to peer support. The department also funds and provides regional support to address issues common in specific regions. We have commissioned the CQC and Ofsted, with the support of the Department of Health and Social Care, to develop a new area SEND inspection framework to launch after the existing cycle has finished.

The government’s review of the SEND system is making good progress in identifying improvements needed to secure lasting and tangible change to the special educational needs system, drawing on significant input from a wide range of organisations, children, young people and parents. Proposals for consultation will be published as soon as possible.