Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of accessibility of statutory SEND rights for (a) parents and (b) carers.

The views of parents, carers and young people remain a key underpinning principle for decisions made in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. The government’s proposed reforms will expand the legal duties to meet the needs of children and young people without an education, health and care (EHC) plan.

Under our proposals, Individual Support Plans (ISP) will provide a record of need and provision, and will allow settings to work alongside parents, providing a single, consistent record of what support has been tried, what has worked, and what needs to change. We are proposing a duty on settings to produce an ISP for any child or young person with SEND.

Under our proposals, children and young people eligible for a specialist provision package would receive an EHC plan and an ISP outlining day-to-day provision, ensuring that those with the most complex needs are supported in a flexible, responsive and well-evidenced way. We propose strengthening the needs assessment process, so it is clearer, simpler and reflects the voices of parents, carers and the child or young person

The government's consultation on 'SEND reform: putting children and young people first’ has now closed. The department is carefully reviewing responses and will publish our final proposals in due course.