A HIGHLY damning report into Slough Council’s special education needs and disability (SEND) services revealed parents had to ‘fight for years’ to get their children support.
A report was published on November 17 which found multiple “significant weaknesses of concern” within the service.
It comes after a joint inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission was undertaken between September 27 and October 1.
Slough Borough Council, Frimley Clinical Commissioning Group, and Slough Children First were found responsible and are required to produce a written statement of action, stating how it will make positive changes.
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Criticisms include a lack of collaboration with parents and families of SEND children, and parents and carers not feeling understood, welcomed, or helped.
In the report, it stated: “Many parents report ‘fighting’ over years to have their child’s needs identified and supported, without success.
“Communication with area SEND services is difficult. Parents, carers and professionals rely on people they know. The valiant efforts of individual staff mean that while some families have positive stories to tell, many struggle to find or access the help they need.”
It also criticised a lack of joined-up working between the organisations where leaders in Slough have “not effectively” implemented the reforms needed and arrangements for joint oversight and accountability, leading to “too little focus” on the reality faced by SEND children and young people, and their families.
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Other areas of concern include some schools not being welcoming of SEND children, high staff turnover, social care needs not being met and long waiting times to see an occupational therapist or receive an educational health and care plan.
Councillor Christine Hulme (Lab: Central), lead member for education and children, who took over the role in May, said the service needs to “improve and fast”.
She said: “Reading that there are too few opportunities for SEND children to experience social parts of childhood like their peers is heart-breaking, but nowhere near as tough as it must be for the children themselves and their families.
“We have been working since I took over the portfolio on better joining up all our services and this is noted in the report, but unfortunately the work is too new to have had any real impact before Ofsted and CQC visited.”
Tony Hunter, chair of Slough Children's First Limited
The report did single out areas for praise, including SEND services in Early Years, the mental health transformation programme, the support received from the SEND information, advice and support service, and the ‘valiant efforts’ of individual members of staff.
Tony Hunter, recently appointed chair of Slough Children First, said “We are pleased the contribution of our social workers in helping families has been recognised; this gives a strong foundation for intense work across partners to improve the quality of children and families needing this range of services.”
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