Students are ‘left without vital care plans’

DEADLINES FOR producing plans to help students with special educational needs remain in education after they reach 16 have been missed nearly 800 times by councils in Yorkshire in the past year.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that education, health and care (EHC) plans for young people turning 16 were not in place by the March deadline in 791 cases.

Councils, health and social care services are responsible for commissioning education, health and care provision for young people with SEN up to the age of 25. This can involve creating an EHC plan. The deadline for having these in place for 16-year-olds moving from school to a post-16 setting was at the end of March.

However, new figures show that in hundreds of cases EHC plans were not in place. Imogen Jolley, the head of education at Simpson Millar solicitors, said the figures represented “a systemic problem” .

Councils in Yorkshire have defended their work to ensure young people with extra needs have the right package of support in place.

Figures show plans were in place by the March deadline on 555 occasions but across Yorkshire the majority of young people needing an EHC plan for “transitioning” to college or a post 16 setting did not have one.

In Kirklees 200 of the 222 who needed an EHC plan did not have one in place at the end of March. In Rotherham there were 99 cases out of 113 where they were not in place.

THE MAJORITY of young people with special educational needs in Yorkshire who needed a support plan to help them move from school to college, did not have one in place by a March deadline, new figures reveal.

Education health and care (EHC) plans to support young people with SEN to stay in education after they turn 16 were supposed to be in place by the end of March this year.

However, figures obtained by a solicitors firm have revealed that in 791 cases in Yorkshire this plan was not in place by the deadline. Imogen Jolley , the head of education at Simpson Millar solicitors, said the figures represented “a systemic problem which is affecting young people with special educational needs at a crucial time in their education.

“This clearly indicates a widespread lack of resources to meet a deadline which is both legal and essential,” she said.

However, councils have defended their work to ensure young people with SEN are supported.

Figures show that in Kirklees 200 out of 222 young people who needed an EHC plan for transitioning to college did not have one. In Rotherham an EHC plan was not in place in 99 out of 113 cases. In Bradford of the 89 students who needed an EHC plan 33 were in place by the deadline and in the East Riding of 72 who needed one 25 were in place.

Elsewhere the vast majority of young people did have a plan in place by the deadline. In Hull 67 of the 74 students had an EHC plan in place, in Calderdale 27 of the 40 students had a plan ready and in York 30 of 45 students did.

A Kirklees Council spokeswoman said: “We have worked with families and colleges to ensure that young people are able to start their post-16 placement on time, even if there have been delays in dealing with their plan.

“A number of councils have experienced delays in this process as a new system has come into effect nationally, but we do acknowledge there have been issues in Kirklees. We are already working to put this right so that more plans will completed on time in the future.” She said they had kept families up to date to reassure them.

Coun Megan Swift, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for children and Young People’s Services, said: “When creating EHC plans we work very closely with families, schools and colleges, providing support and advice and taking time to understand exactly what the young people’s needs are so we can ensure they reach their full potential.

“This intensive partnership work, plus the need for our small team to transfer about 1,000 statements of special educational need into EHC plans due to a change in legislation, means that we didn’t complete as many plans before the deadline as we would have liked.”

Caroline Rowley, the Yorkshire regional director for the Association of Colleges said: “In creating a new coherent system of support for young people with SEN partnerships with local authorities and other agencies have become increasingly important.

“There have been occasional reports of difficulties in creating and accessing EHC plans and in working with local authorities. Where this has occurred, AoC and colleges are working with DfE to make sure the system works well for young people and parents.”

She said the AoC and the Local Government Association were going to publish a joint best practice guide for colleges and councils.

This is a systemic problem affecting thousands of people. Imogen Jolley, head of education at Simpson Millar solicitors.