'Hundreds' of special needs kids on 20-week waiting list

Some wait to find out if they’ll be assessed

- Kerry Ashdown

HUNDREDS of children in Staffordshire are still waiting more than 20 weeks for a legal document detailing their special educational needs and the support they require, councillors have been told.

Staffordshire County Council has seen demand grow for support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) over recent years - and the number of children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs) in the county had risen to more than 8,000 last year.

If a child or young person needs an EHCP, because their special educational needs require more help than would normally be provided in a mainstream nursery, school or college, this document should be completed by the county council with a 20-week timeframe. But almost 500 children who had been assessed were waiting longer than 20 weeks, members of the Safeguarding and Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee heard this month.

Some families were also waiting several weeks for a decision on whether their children would be assessed for an ECHP, they were told.