THE Minister for Children and Families Nadhim Zahawi has asked for continued progress reports from Surrey County Council on its improvements to special educational needs and disability (SEND) services, writes Local Democracy Reporter Rebecca Curley.

The MP urged the council to ‘maintain momentum and focus on improving’ special educational needs and disabilities services and asked leaders to “ensure the necessary focus and resources remain in place”.

In a letter to Mary Lewis, Surrey’s member in charge of SEND and education, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for children and families requested her department keeps his officials informed of progress in quarterly review meetings. 

And he ordered a written update in September 2019 on how SEND services were performing.

The letter was sent in reply to a report by Mrs Lewis to the MP in June this year of how the council was improving SEND services.

This came after a number of “significant concerns” were raised by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in December 2016.

Mr Zahawi praised Mrs Lewis and the council officers on progress they had reported on completing education health care plans (ECHP) within 20 weeks, increasing from 28 per cent in January to 85 per cent this year which he said was helping children and families ‘receive the support they need in a timely manner.’

And he noted Surrey’s progress in reducing the number of fixed term and permanent exclusion for children and young people with SEND.

But the minister urged caution in his letter saying: “I know Surrey has experienced a period of interim senior leadership and that further restructuring and governance changes are now under way.

“It is important to maintain momentum and focus on improving SEND services and I was pleased to note Dave Hill, Surrey’s new director of children’s services, has identified SEND as being among his top three priorities.

“I ask you ensure the necessary focus and resources remain in place to bring about the sustained improvement in services and urge you to take the necessary time to work in full co-production with Family Voice and other partners – including through early engagement on your revised SEND strategy and action plan.

“I am keen to see how Surrey moves forward and have asked my officials to keep me informed on your progress and to continue with your quarterly review meetings, including attendance by local authority officers and Family Voice.”

The council is currently consulting on a transformed SEND service which includes identifying needs earlier, a reduction in transport costs and creating an extra 350 specialist school places in Surrey over the next two years.

A proposal budget to cabinet in March highlighted a need for £21m savings in SEND funding this year.

The minister’s letter was considered by the county’s children and education committee on November 16.

It comes after a group of four families, including Alicia Hollow and her son Kian from Farnham, took Surrey County Council to court in October over the proposed £21million savings to special needs services.

A two-day judicial review at the Royal Courts of Justice concluded on October 10 with judges reserving judgement for a later date.

At the hearings, the families argued Surrey CC had failed in its statutory duty to carry out consultation into cuts adopted by cabinet councillors to the SEND services at their meeting on March 27.

But arguing the council’s case, Jonathan Moffat QC said budgets were ‘not set in stone’ and that councillors could only make a decision based on the ‘information ascertained’ at the time.