Education, Health and Care Plans Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Education
Jack Abbott
Main Page: Jack Abbott (Labour (Co-op) - Ipswich)Department Debates - View all Jack Abbott's debates with the Department for Education
Education, Health and Care Plans
Jack Abbott Excerpts(1 day, 14 hours ago)
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Jack Abbott (Ipswich) (Lab/Co-op)
Thank you, Dr Huq, for your excellent chairship, which has allowed everybody to contribute.
This is a national issue, but SEND services in Ipswich and Suffolk have been in a desperate state for more than a decade. Like everywhere else, we need specialist places and specialist professionals. We welcome the massive boost in funding provided by the Government.
However, as hon. Members from across the room have said, culture and accountability are crucial. One way in which we can start to inject a bit more accountability and scrutiny into the system is to hold a review of the ombudsman process, which Members have described today as combative, complex and exhausting for so many families. In particular, tribunal hearings are held in public only in exceptional circumstances. Given that around 95% of tribunal hearings, if not more, find in favour of the families, all cases should now be heard in public. I urge the Minister to look not only at the ombudsman process, but at those tribunal hearings.
