SEND children are not 'problems to be managed', campaigner says

A long-term campaigner for her daughter Lucy welcomes the government's Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper and its pledge of more teachers, but warns urgent, deeper and coherent reforms plus genuine consultation are needed to turn promises into better support for SEND children.

A campaigner recounts that her advocacy began after the birth of her eldest daughter, Lucy Ann, in 1988, who was later diagnosed with dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism. She argues that children with special educational needs and disabilities are citizens with rights, not problems to be managed. The government's new white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, is presented as a chance to broaden the curriculum and re‑focus on children sidelined by unmet SEND needs. The author welcomes parts of the plan but emphasises that promises must change what happens to children and families now. Key points: - The writer describes decades of campaigning, including work to secure legal provisions in the 1996 Education Act on behalf of children like her daughter. - The white paper pledges a broader curriculum, greater inclusion and a plan to recruit 6,500 additional teachers. The article notes that extra staff could enable earlier intervention and more tailored support if they are properly distributed and trained. - Families report long waits, opaque processes and frequent refusals in the current SEND system, and many families ultimately win at tribunal after prolonged stress, illustrating a gap between policy and practice. - The campaigner sets out four concerns: urgency (faster assessments, reduced backlogs, interim protections), depth (how accountability regimes and funding align with inclusion), coherence (joined-up reforms across mainstream and alternative provision) and the need for a genuine consultation that centres lived experience. Summary: The article welcomes the white paper's language of rights, inclusion and teacher recruitment while arguing that good intentions alone will not resolve current failings faced by SEND children and their families. The author calls for clear near‑term milestones on assessment timelines and backlogs, deeper changes to accountability and funding, and a consultation process that demonstrably centres lived experience. Undetermined at this time.