BPS responds to ITV's investigation on EHCP delays

An ITV News investigation has revealed that 58 per cent of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been forced to take time out of school because their needs could not be met. The research also found that nearly a third of parents of parents (30%) have had to use the legal system to get their children the right provision.

Responding to the findings, Chair of the Division of Educational and Child Psychology at the British Psychological Society, Dr Gavin Morgan said: 

''These latest figures into the delays for children accessing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) confirm what every educational psychologist across the country will be acutely aware of. At its worst, the process for administering EHCPs in local authorities, is failing the children most in need in our communities and creating a complex adversarial process for parents.

''With over 20,000 children waiting for an assessment in England, and over 4,000 who do have plans awaiting a school place, urgent action is needed to fix this broken system. Parents should not have to go down the legal route just to access the support their children need. 

"This increase in demand comes after a reduction in the number of educational psychologists working in local authorities, which sits against a backdrop of austerity measures affecting local authorities. There have also been changes in the way educational psychology services are funded to support schools, which may vary greatly between local authorities. Schools need educational psychology support and often the only way to get this is to apply for an EHC assessment.

"The new government must act quickly to give councils the funding they need, to provide the vital and equitable access to the local authority educational psychology support required. Often many schools are forced to pay for this support so this must revert to being free at the point of delivery. 

"Government must also be committed to grow the number of educational psychologists in the workforce. If not addressed urgently, thousands more children risk being lost in the system altogether."