Commons Sense

Hansard-based summaries and metrics

Children with SEND Provision of Support 2022-07-04

2022-07-04

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Response quality

Questions & Answers

Q1 Partial Answer
Sarah Green Lib Dem
Chesham and Amersham
▸ Context
The Liberal Democrats are concerned about the identification of children with SEND and provision of necessary support. Parents in the constituency have reported delays in appointments with educational psychologists, affecting their ability to plan for their disabled children's education.
What steps is his Department taking to improve (a) identification of and (b) provision of support to children with SEND? I thank the Minister for his answer. Multiple parents in my constituency have children entering summer holidays without knowing where they will be in September or whether needed support will be available due to delays in appointments with educational psychologists. While welcoming increased funding, the 2023 intake is too late for those needing immediate support now.
Will Quince
The SEND Green Paper aims to address these issues. Educational psychologists play a critical role in identifying needs and advising on appropriate support through their statutory role in the education, health and care plan process. Since 2020, we have increased the number of educational psychologists from 160 per annum to over 360, including over £10 million invested for training more than 200 additional educational psychologists starting September 2023.
▸ Assessment & feedback
The backlog in appointments and immediate funding gap were not directly addressed.
Response accuracy
Q2 Partial Answer
Sarah Green Lib Dem
Chesham and Amersham
▸ Context
Parents in Sarah Green's constituency are concerned about the immediate provision of necessary support for disabled children, facing delays in appointments with educational psychologists.
While welcoming increased funding, the 2023 intake is too late to help young people needing this support now. How do the Government intend to tackle the backlog and ensure that the SEND Green Paper addresses the current funding gap?
Will Quince
The SEND Green Paper will help address these issues. Since 2020, we have increased the number of educational psychologists and trainees from 160 per annum to over 360, including an investment of over £10 million for training more than 200 additional educational psychologists starting September 2023.
▸ Assessment & feedback
The backlog in appointments and immediate funding gap were not directly addressed.
Response accuracy