'National shortage of educational psychologists'

MP for Ellesmere Port

SOME worrying trends become apparent whenever my caseworkers and I take a look at the number of approaches being made to me by my constituents

One cause for increasing concern is the effect of the cuts agenda being forced upon our council and the NHS which affect children with special educational needs (SEN) who depend upon support from specially qualified teachers and teaching assistants.

I am being asked on a much more regular basis to provide backing for parents and guardians who find themselves struggling to secure appropriate placements for their children. Some of the youngsters may be autistic while others may be engaged in a variety of mental health struggles. All need additional support in order to access their education fully.

There is a national shortage of educational psychologists and other healthcare professionals which leads to huge delays in diagnosis and assistance for these children. It is a challenge across the whole country and every parent who has to navigate the system feels like they have to fight every step of the way.

There is an urgent need for fundamental reform and funding across the entire system. It is highly disturbing to learn of the number of children who are not in the classroom because of a variety of mental health issues, many of which are not being treated adequately because of the shortage of experts to deal with seemingly mile-long casework backlogs. As a result, parents and guardians are in some instances beside themselves with worry about these delays and the long-term damage to their children’s potential. Sadly for many seeking assistance with their mental health the thresholds for a referral are set so high that few actually qualify for assistance, whilst those that do can often wait months for that to arrive.

My Cheshire West MP colleagues and I have joined together to call for a commitment from the Government to deliver better standards for children with SEN, so we are pleased to note that Cheshire West and Cheshire Council (CWaC) has been identified by both the Care Quality Commission and the Ofsted education inspectorate to be improving on the number of education and health care (EHC) plans being issued within 20 weeks.CWaC and other councils across the country point to the increasing complexities of cases that staff are facing which is impacting on their ability to carry out and complete assessments and reviews in a timely way. While I in no way dispute the problems that they and partner agencies are facing, it is my clear responsibility to ensure that the needs of families are responded to in a timely manner.It is encouraging to note that an extra 56 places have been found in 10 special schools across the CWaC area and that new provision has also been found in mainstream schools although provision needs to increase further to meet demand. So in summary, instead of young people being made to do maths until they reach the age of 18, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak should be focusing on making sure all children are actually in school, in the right school for them and with the support they need to make the most of their educational potential. Then we might be progressing in the way we need to do so.