Rachel Turner, a mother of an autistic teenager, has successfully sued Devon County Council’s special educational needs (SEN) service. She sues them for not doing enough to protect her daughter. Families still find themselves overwhelmed by the challenge of getting a quality education for their children. This challenge is a reminder of the systemic problems with the council.
Devon County Council has accumulated over £130 million in debt related to SEN spending, a situation described as posing a “high risk to the ongoing financial stability” of the council by its chief financial officer. The previous Conservative administration’s financial mismanagement has left families like Turner’s grappling with uncertainty and frustration.
Turner explained how her fight to get an education for her daughter has “upended our life. She described life as “in limbo” since four times council staffers have hung up or never answered her calls. Her emails too frequently fall on deaf ears as well.
“You’ve got a complete fight on your hands to get them the education they’re entitled to.” – Rachel Turner
In reaction to these worries, Julian Brazil, the head of Devon County Council, has publicly apologized to the families impacted. He understands the need to address a “horribly broken system” with great urgency. Brazil made clear that restoring the SEN service is his first priority.
The council has been looking at measures such as early intervention strategies as well as initiatives to promote safer, more welcoming, inclusive school environments. Devon County Council is planning to spend millions expanding special schools in the area. Advancing this initiative will end the practice of sending children out of the county to receive specialized education.
Even with ambitions detailed in these plans, the outlook on the ground is bleak. The government is expected to announce new proposals for improving special educational needs provision this fall. In Devon, the council has cost the environment and taxpayers money by failing to meet statutory deadlines. They can now only issue Education, Health and Care plans (EHCPs) in a little over 3% of cases within the statutory 20-week timescale. This statistic positions Devon County Council as the worst-performing local authority in the country, according to figures from the Department for Education.
Turner focused on a disturbing cut to funding for her daughter’s tutor, which was previously cut by 90%. So it was a huge relief when that decision was reversed right before the school year started. This really underscores just how unstable support can be for families making their way through this confusing system.
Brazil acknowledged the hardships faced by parents like Turner, stating, “First and foremost, I feel for those parents – they are struggling with a system that is broken.” He warned that while change is needed, it’s not going to come quickly. He reiterated optimism that with the right people, DCC will lead on making real progress.
