The SEND System Is Strained — But Parents Are Pushing Back and Making Change

Over the past few years, and especially in the current climate, families navigating the SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) system have faced increasing hurdles — delays in assessments, refusals to assess, shrinking budgets, emotionally exhausted school staff, and local authorities that often appear to work to restrict rather than enable support. Many parents are feeling defeated before the process even begins.

But here’s the truth: parents and carers are becoming more informed, more legally literate, and more empowered — and it’s changing the landscape.

Why the System Feels Heavier Right Now

Families are reporting:

Increased use of “refusal to assess”

Longer waiting times for CAMHS and Autism/ADHD pathways

Schools expected to provide SEN support without adequate staffing or funding

LAs using template-style wording in EHCPs that lacks specificity & accountability

More cases escalating to Tribunal due to failures to provide legally required support

This isn’t imagined — it’s real. The strain is systemic.

There are more children needing support and fewer resources being allocated to meet that need.

But what we are seeing now is a counterforce:

parents are becoming experts in SEND law, advocacy, and provision.

Knowledge Is Shifting the Power Balance

Parents are increasingly:

Understanding that the legal test for an EHC Needs Assessment is LOW

Learning what “specific & quantified” provision means

Recognising unlawful phrases like: “access to,” “as required,” “regular opportunities,” “where appropriate”

Challenging vague EHCP wording

Requesting statutory amendments

Making formal complaints

Filing mediation certificates

Appealing to Tribunal when necessary

And as this knowledge spreads, something important is happening:

Local Authorities are being held accountable.

Children Are Not Statistics — They Are Humans With Potential

Behind every EHCP, every request, every battle — there is a child:

A child who wants to learn

A child who is trying their best

A child who often feels different, misunderstood, or overwhelmed

A child whose current behaviour is communication, not disobedience

And there is also a parent:

Who lies awake at 3am writing notes

Who obtains reports, diagnoses, evidence

Who wipes tears that nobody sees

Who becomes an unpaid case manager, educator, therapist, advocate, and legal representative

No parent chooses this role — they grow into it, because their child needs them to.

Accessible Advocacy for Every Family

My mission at Independent SEND EHCP is to ensure that knowledge and support is accessible to all, not only those who can afford premium consultancy rates.

That’s why I offer:

✔ Free initial consultations — so every parent can access guidance, without financial pressure.

✔ Reasonable and transparent pricing — because advocacy should never be elitist.

✔ A new monthly support service — designed especially for overwhelmed parents who need ongoing, steady guidance.

This includes:

One 1-hour virtual meeting or two 30-minute meetings each month

Unlimited email support

Ready-made templates for LA communication

Suggested next steps and signposting

Optional telephone support for those who struggle with online communication or text-based exchanges

This service is intentionally shaped for families who:

feel anxious with online meetings

prefer real human voice-to-voice conversation

get lost or stressed in paperwork

need gentle, ongoing guidance rather than one-off advice

Accessible, relational advocacy is not simply a business model — it’s a value system.

Why Advocacy Matters More Than Ever

As the climate becomes tougher, supportive advocacy is not a luxury — it’s a lifeline.

Families increasingly need:

Help interpreting EP, SALT, and OT reports

Support drafting Sections B, E, and F

Guidance to understand legal entitlements

Someone who has been there

Someone who speaks LA-language fluently

Someone who is calm, strategic, and knowledgeable

At Independent SEND EHCP, that’s the foundation of my work:

empowering families, not overcomplicating the process, and centring the child, not the bureaucracy.

What Parents Should Remember (Today, and Always):

The law is on your side.

You do not need to be polite at the expense of being assertive.

Never apologise for advocating for your child.

You don’t need to know everything — you just need to know where to look.

You are not “difficult.”

You are not “imagining it.”

You are not “asking for too much.”

You are asking for what your child is legally entitled to.

We Are In This Together

We are witnessing a shift.

A movement.

A strengthening of parent voice.

A recognition that SEND is not a “special” issue — it is an educational equity issue.

Access to appropriate education is not optional… it is a right.

And as more parents learn, connect, and challenge decisions — the system will have to evolve.