Kirsti Nicole Hadley, a SEND mother from Brighton has shared her horror, sorrows and frustrations with the SEND system. She thinks right now, it’s in crisis. Her son, who is autistic, has faced significant challenges navigating a system that leaves many parents feeling unsupported. Labour MP Chris Ward formerly Experience Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, the bed of the test. He passionately argues that a third or more of his constituents require assistance going through the SEND framework.
Our most recent Sussex SEND summit, held in Seaford, East Sussex. It brought together parents, teachers, health professionals, charities and Chris Ward himself to address the most pressing concerns about the SEND system. Discussion attendees stressed that families face a hundred different hurdles. Most importantly, people told us they felt erased then gaslit by the institutions that should protect and uplift them. “People don’t get to see [us] managing the emotion of our children’s unmet needs of the schools. According to Jess Rad, the chief executive of WomanHood, this crisis is crushing women and mothers. Her network continues to provide support to anyone dealing with the same struggles.
Our government has announced a record-breaking investment of £1 billion into the SEND system. Of this, £740 million will be used to directly incentivise councils to develop more specialist places in mainstream schools. Still, millions of parents across the country have no faith in what these measures will actually do. Kirsti Nicole Hadley expressed her frustration, stating, “It would have been far kinder in the long run for somebody to have just been brutally honest with me… that no help was coming and I just had to sort myself out.”
The Government says it wants to get to the heart of the problems that have long afflicted the SEND system. Parents are still left with the massive burden of administrative work and advocacy responsibilities due to continued systemic failure. We know families are struggling at the moment and the DfE understands this too. They are committed to continuing the fight in making these issues a priority.
As the conversation surrounding the future of the SEND system continues to intensify, stakeholders need to remain vigilant. Voices from parents such as Kirsti Nicole Hadley and advocates such as Jess Rad are critical to defining what that future should be. Their stories show why we need wholesystem reform that puts families first and edges toward more transparency and accountability into what is still a murky and confusing landscape.
