Parents of children with SEND invited to online meeting to discuss local issues in accessing help

Local Special Educational Needs and Disabilities policies and their real-life effects on local families is to be the subject of an online meeting hosted by Corby’s prospective Labour candidate

Lee Barron says that during recent campaigning SEND issues have come up repeatedly, and now he wants to get to the bottom of the issues that local parents have been having in accessing help for them and their children.

He will host an online meeting with at least a dozen families from Corby and East Northants to discuss the problems.Lee said: “In recent months I have met several families with Cllr Mark Pengelly and Cllr Simon Rielly. How they have been treated is horrific and there seems to be a pattern.“We would like any families who have issues to contact us so we can get them to come to the meeting .We want to know what all the issues are and will get a shadow cabinet member to come and meet the group at a later date to listen to problems.”

Local mum Julie, who will attend the meeting, said that she has had to remove her child from school.

She said: “Sitting at home with my nine-year-old daughter I often wonder where it all went wrong. Where is the support? How can my child be denied an education?“Despite meeting after meeting I had to remove my child from school due to self harming. She was suffering day in and day out due to being in a school environment that did not meet her needs.

"Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities are being denied their lawful rights throughout this county.

"In many cases, including my own, the child is denied what they need until the case is escalated by the parent to a tribunal, I can no longer work full time but instead find myself navigating and fighting a system that is supposed to be there to support the most vulnerable of children.

"This has a massive impact on the whole family and not something I could ever imagine would have happened but sadly something that is more and more common as I meet other parents in my situation.

"I am not asking for my children to have anything more than they need and are entitled too but what I am asking for is for the process to be followed and if not for accountability to be upheld and put where it belongs. This simply cannot be allowed to continue.

"Children deserve better I have spoken to several parents who have suffered because of the councils policies just like me - I urge them to please attend this meeting so we can work together with Lee and others .

Cllr Mark Pengelly (Lab, Lloyds) said: “I have been advised that there are 1,200 people on one local Watts App group of families having problems with EHCP plans and there are several other groups in the area. These families need support and I am pleased Lee Barron is taking a lead on this.”The meeting takes place this Thursday, January 18, at 9.30am online Please make contact with [email protected] if you wish to join.