Education, Health and Care Plans

For far too long, families and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have been let down by a system creaking under the weight of Government neglect. Communities across the country – and especially here in Cornwall – have watched as the promises of support gave way to bureaucratic battles and deepening despair. The Government’s newfound appetite for reform is welcome, but this must not be just another exercise in paper-shuffling or rights dilution.

We’ve all heard the stories: parents forced to become experts and advocates just to secure the support their children deserve. Councils drowning in deficits. Children still waiting for the help they need while outcomes stagnate. The need for change is undeniable, but the path forward must be honest, bold, and grounded in fairness.

SEND reform must have children’s rights at its heart. We cannot allow a rollback of the very protections which give families the confidence to hope. The uncertainty swirling around Government intentions is already sowing confusion and anxiety among parents. Many fear that the reforms, however well-meant, will erode the pillars of support on which their children rely.

My Liberal Democrat Parliamentary colleagues and I have set out five fundamental principles to guide meaningful change. They begin with a simple notion: the SEND system cannot be improved by dismantling it. Proposals to scrap EHCPs, however flawed they may be in practice, are not just misguided, but harmful. The answer lies in improvement, not abandonment.

We must boost capacity, invest in early identification, and fix the broken funding system. Above all, we must remember that this is about our children, not figures on a balance sheet.