Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that children with SEND have an up-to-date Education, Health and Care Plan before returning to school during the covid-19 outbreak.

The temporary changes that were made to two aspects of the law on education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and plan processes, at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, have now ceased. Any case started, or in progress, since the temporary changes to timescales for EHC plans expired on 25 September, is now subject to the usual statutory timescales, and all therapies and support that would usually be in place for children with EHC plans should now have been restored.

The Chief Nurse of Public Health England has written to all Directors of Nursing advising that professionals supporting children and families, such as health visitors, school nurses, designated safeguarding officers and nurses supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), should not be redeployed to other services. This ensures ongoing support from health bodies towards making sure that all EHC plan assessments and reviews are up to date.

Alongside this, the department has held frequent conversations with local authority SEND and health leaders since March, to explore the challenges they face and to provide support in undertaking their statutory duties for EHC plans. When local authorities have had a need for a Written Statement of Action, identified through their local area inspection, we have continued to work with them throughout the COVID-19 outbreak on improvement through our team of specialist advisors. Each year we also deliver a training programme to local authorities and health and social care staff, on their statutory duties for EHC plans and reviews, and we have continued to do this on a virtual basis.

In addition, we have started a programme of visits by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission working with local areas to understand the experiences of children and young people with SEND and their families during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to support local areas to prioritise and meet their needs.