Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of potential impact of the time taken for education, health and care plan applications to be processed on children in Devon.

The department wants to ensure that, where required, education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.

The department has been working closely with all statutory partners involved in delivering special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services in Devon since their local area SEND inspection in May 2022, which found that insufficient progress had been made against the four areas of significant weakness identified during their previous inspection in December 2018, including on the timeliness and quality of EHC plans.

In response to these findings, the department issued an improvement notice in September 2022, and an accelerated progress plan was developed with the local authority and integrated care board. In addition, the department and NHS England have both deployed SEND advisers to assist the local area and to offer advice and support. This includes analysis of EHC plans data and trends, facilitation of best practice exchange from other regions and guidance to enhance the quality of EHC plans.

The department also holds regular formal monitoring meetings with the local authority and partners as part of holding the local area to account for making the necessary improvements in services. As part of this work, there is robust monitoring of Devon’s EHC plans, including their timeliness, quality and the clearance of backlogs.

The latest monitoring meeting highlighted that the local authority and partners are taking steps to improve services, with some early impact on outcomes regarding the timeliness and quality of EHC plans. However, there remains substantial progress needed to ensure that all children and families receive the service they require and deserve, and we will continue to work closely with the local area and our support partners to closely monitor and ensure they deliver further improvements in services.