Suffolk gets £5m for new SEND support service

Why it matters: Families across Suffolk have long raised concerns about long waits in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, with support often arriving only after needs have escalated to crisis point. The new funding, worth £5,107,716, is intended to move help earlier in the process and closer to home.

The details: The money will be used to establish an "Experts at Hand" offer — a service announced in February's Schools White Paper that will give children access to professionals, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and educational psychologists. The service will involve partnerships between special schools, alternative provision and mainstream settings, and is designed to provide support without families having to go through lengthy assessment processes.

Final guidance on how Suffolk County Council should use the funding will be published next month.

What they're saying: Jack Abbott, MP for Ipswich, said: "I know about the totally unacceptable waits families face to get their children the right support. Too often, by the time help finally arrives, families are already at breaking point, and this has been the case in Ipswich and Suffolk for years.

"This investment is a vital step towards changing that. The new 'Experts at Hand' service will mean quicker access to specialist support, earlier intervention, and a system that works with families rather than against them."

Georgia Gould, Minister for School Standards, said: "Too often, young people with SEND face a long wait for the support they need, holding them back from building important skills and thriving in education.

"Our Experts at Hand offer will make sure families don't face a postcode lottery in support by boosting teacher capacity and ensuring nurseries, schools and colleges across the country have access to a bank of specialists who are ready to provide the additional help children may need."

The bigger picture: The funding forms part of a wider package of investment in SEND provision across Suffolk. In March, the county received more than £9 million in high needs capital funding to create new specialist places across Ipswich and the wider county. This followed last summer's announcement of more than 100 new SEND places across Suffolk, including a 24-place unit at Ipswich Academy and expansions at The Bridge School, Warren School, West Row Academy, Burton End Primary Academy and Clements Primary Academy.

The government has also written off more than £150 million of Suffolk County Council's historic SEND deficit, cancelling 90 per cent of a £168 million shortfall caused by rising demand and costs.

Speaking at the time, a spokesperson for the council welcomed the Government's decision but warned the authority still did not know how the gap would build up over the next two years.

"That support will make a real difference and will reduce the cost of carrying this debt," the spokesperson said. "But it doesn't remove the pressure completely."

The bottom line: The £5 million investment represents the latest step in a government push to reform SEND provision in Suffolk, with the Experts at Hand service aimed at getting support to children sooner — and without the battles many families say they have had to fight to access it.

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