The education system in the UK is well placed to identify and support the vast majority of children with special educational need. Difficulties relating to
attachment, social engagement, developmental delay and academic achievement are and will always be best dealt by teachers that know and care for the children,
within a mainstream school setting with reasonable adjustments
However, for families of children with a complex health component to their needs (whether physical or mental health, and usually with a neurological component),
the support required by the child and their whole family goes beyond what schools can provide. It is more specialist and holistic in nature. With options for support
at school exhausted, families –often already out of their depth- turn for outside help and find long waiting lists and minimal expertise available within the local area.
Parents become overwhelmed by the system and end up in conflict with the professionals who are trying to help them. Relationships are damaged and billions are
spent away from helping children on costly tribunal and court battles, usually won by families.
Meanwhile, children suffer irreparable damage. Many bright, bubbly children with conditions such as Autism and ADHD (amongst others) develop poor mental
health that declines at a rapid pace. This is demonstrated by the record numbers of children admitted to either mental health units or highly specialised school
placements, often as boarders. Primary aged children -especially those with neurodiverse conditions such as Autism- are suffering eating disorders and permanent
exclusions and there has been record increases in suicides amongst neurodiverse individuals. Children with complex medical issues suffer similarly, with rising
numbers of long-stay children in ICU, others in specialist residential placements and others dying from preventable causes.
As a professional in public health and planning healthcare, I only truly understand the nature of this complexity and the reasons behind it because of my experience
with own daughter, diagnosed with a rare genetic condition causing complex physical and neurological disabilities. To have worked for so long within the
infrastructure of the NHS and find myself struggling to navigate a system in spite of a child with very clear and obvious disabilities, and a diagnosis with a clear
pathology.
From the work and research I have done since, I know for a fact that in a small minority of more complex SEND cases, with targeted, personalised early
intervention from the right people with the right expertise, costs of special needs support can be reduced, and the impact on families and schools minimised. I know how to identify families and implement the systems and processes required to ensure that you can provide this to your families, so that your resource can be targeted
and minimised, and families strengthened.