The crisis in SEND support should force us to rethink public service design

In Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Sun Also Rises, his character Bill asks Mike, "How did you go bankrupt?” Mike answers in two ways. “Gradually and then suddenly.”

Today, we might hear the same from the finance chiefs at some of Britain’s most prominent local authorities. Since 2021, six have had to declare an S114 Notice – a form of bankruptcy. One significant cause of this growing financial crisis within local government is the increasing demand for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

It leaves us asking how previously unreported crises can go from the preserve of expert specialists to the forefront of national debate. What happens when they leap from the realm of a single department or sphere of life to being the driver of broader decision-making, from a specialist worry to atop ministerial boxes on the commute back to constituencies on a Thursday evening?

All children have needs that must be met to survive and thrive, and some of these needs are met with state support (e.g., education and medical care). Children with complex health needs require more support from both their families and the state. Yet state support can be patchy, varying across the country. In particular, when a child’s needs change, support can be slow to start, if it starts at all, often leaving families desperate.

Stories of parents struggling to navigate a creaking system and the local authorities tasked with designing support packages have found their way into the media—the stories of crisis and struggle told by parents and carers who never sought a campaigning role. 

The statistics show an increase in demand; in 2023/24, there were 1.6 million children who required SEND support – a rise of over 100,000 in the previous year. This fits part of a pattern which has seen demand rise while local authority budgets have remained tight. With SEND support being a statutory service, this has had a knock-on effect, with budgets having to be tightened further to deliver this support. 

The impact on wider services is obvious and makes councils increasingly live under austerity, even if budgets rise.

It's why the UCL SPROCKET (Systems and Process Redesign and Optimisation at Childhood Key Events and Transitions) project and the UCL Policy Lab brought together practitioners, researchers, heads of services, and local government leaders to explore how we can work to build a coalition to support improving outcomes for children and young people with complex health needs.

Crucial in all the discussions was the need to break free from the fire-fighting - to allow us to rethink how to tackle the foundational elements of SEND provision proactively, rather than reactively. 

This requires a two-track approach, with longer, systemic reform work running alongside a ‘quick-win’ approach to research and innovation. This is where researchers, too, must recognise that we can use the expertise and space within academia to support practitioners and parents in the day-to-day.  

As Professor Christina Pagel, Director of the UCL Clinical Operational Research Unit and Operational Research Co-Lead of at SPROCKET, said: 

“The task of improving the system of support for children with complex health is daunting and can seem impossible. We want to work with everyone in the system, from children and families, to commissioners and MPs, to identify where small doable changes can have the most impact. But we also want to address the big picture of what an ideal system would look like and how we can move towards it.”

What might this look like? 

One space is collecting stories of both parents and public servants, giving voice to their experiences and sharing these through our convening capacity. Too often, there is little space for learning in the frantic world of delivery - how we connect and share stories can be crucial in spotting opportunities for change, both big and small. 

Another is to look beyond SEND provision to broader services. For those working in SEND or for parents seeking to secure support for their child, there is little time to examine how the health, education, or transport policies are impacting their experiences. For instance, we can use nationally linked datasets to understand how a child with complex health needs’ education is affected, but also the education and health of their siblings.

Finally, engaging in the politics of these issues is crucial. If the SEND crisis cuts across departments and levels of government, it will require a story that connects with today's politics. This means understanding both what the emerging agenda of devolution means, but also what government commitments on the NHS and growth mean for SEND. We know that parents unable to work or children and young people unable to access the services they need will have political consequences. 

Understanding these consequences and telling a complete story for change will be as crucial as ever. 

As UCL Policy Lab Director and Pro-Provost for Policy Engagement, Marc Stears makes clear:

“We’ve seen the spillover effects of the SEND crisis in local government and public services. It can be difficult to grasp these kinds of knotty human crises within politics, which is why it’s so important that UCL and others convene this work and bring practitioners, parents, and policymakers together. The crisis we face is shared, but so is the solution.”

After all, one thing we know from other crises - the opportunity for genuine reform can emerge from the toughest of times. And there are few tougher and more innovative the parents and practitioners who work to deliver for those in need of support.