Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Education, Health and Care Plans are highly sought-after, but they are not a panacea. Thousands of our most vulnerable children have one, yet every day they are being failed.
“No child should lose the support they currently receive, but at best the current system serves children badly. At worst, it is an abject failure of their rights. Families are at their wits end, having fought for years to get effective support for their child’s needs, pushed from pillar to post as services argue about solutions. It is ridiculous that in today’s system, children with lifelong, life-determining disabilities who will require support throughout their lives must fight to get a plan.
“These children need clarity, not unpredictability. Through the government’s White Paper we have an opportunity to provide just that. These reforms must create a system that is no longer focused on telling children they are the problem, but instead creates one that is inclusive by design, setting limitless ambition for children through bespoke, responsive support for a much broader range of needs.”
