Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to reduce the time taken to complete education, health and care plans.

The department wants to ensure that Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, where required, are issued as quickly as possible, so that children and young people can access the support they need.

In March 2023, the government set out its plans to reform and improve the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system through its SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan. It commits to establishing a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment.

As part of these reforms, the department is currently testing measures to deliver a nationally consistent EHC plan system to improve the quality and speed with which support is put in place.

Where local authorities are failing to deliver consistent outcomes for children and young people with SEND, the department works with them using a range of improvement programmes and SEND specialist advisors to address weaknesses.

Following the joint SEND local area revisit by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in 2022, an Improvement Notice was issued to Devon County Council with a requirement to develop an Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) that addressed the four areas of weakness including one relating to EHC plans. In line with the Improvement Notice, the APP is subject to rigorous monitoring by the department and NHS England and the department continues to work closely with the local area to ensure they are supported in addressing issues and driving improvements to services.