Children's individual support plans in Suffolk are not 'worth the paper they're written on', a councillor has said as a new special needs report was discussed.

Members of the county council's health and wellbeing board discussed the outcomes of a new needs assessment report into the authority's special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision at a meeting on Thursday, 16 January.

The report found although the council had improved in some aspects, certain services were under pressure and, in some cases, getting worse.

Cllr Steve Wiles, the authority's lead for public health, said the wellbeing of children and young people in Suffolk was a key priority for the council as one in five school-aged children now received support.

He added: "While we know many children and young people in Suffolk live healthy, active, and productive lives with little specialist support, others require more support.

"Getting this right for them, and for the children and young people of Suffolk in the future, is absolutely crucial."

The report found the number of education, health and care plans (EHCP) delivered within the 20-week statutory period had increased to 32 per cent halfway through last year, up from just 3.9 per cent in 2023.

In January last year, there were 7,860 EHCPs in Suffolk, compared to 4,735 in 2019, highlighting the increased demand pressures on services.

Anna Crispe, a public health consultant at the county council, said although there had been a big increase in the number of children with an EHCP in the past five years, the authority still provided fewer children with SEND support when compared to similar authorities.

She pointed out that many children and young people were still waiting too long, with some waiting as long as two years for ADHD and autism treatment.

Autism is the most common disability for Suffolk pupils with EHCPs, with nearly 30 per cent, or 1,352 pupils.

The report showed nearly 60 per cent of young people under 11-years-old who were identified as having socio-communication difficulties were waiting over 18 weeks for an autism assessment as of September last year.

For ADHD, under 25s in Suffolk waited an average of 50.6 weeks for an assessment as of September 2024 — for children between the ages of zero and four, the average waiting times go up to 65.6 weeks.

Sarah-Jane Smedmor, the executive director for Children and Young People's (CYP) services at the county council pointed out although timeliness in delivering EHCPs was important, it should not come at the price of service standards.

The quality of support was a common theme among representations from members.

Cllr Rowena Lindberg, who has a daughter with SEND, said: "Though my daughter has a health and care plan, it isn't really worth the paper it's written on because the school doesn't have the specialist teachers to provide the support — it's a struggle for the school, for the parent, for the authorities.

"We need to have a more holistic approach when we put these healthcare plans together."

Parents of children with SEND were featured at length in the report, with parents described as being mentally and physically exhausted with navigating through a system compared to an 'unplanned journey without a map or compass'.

Many, the report stated, decided to home-school their children due to systemic failures rather than preference.

The shortage of specialist school placements was picked up by Andy Yacoub, Healthwatch Suffolk's chief executive, who called for mainstream schools to receive more support.

Cllr Andrew Reid, the council's lead for SEND, addressed the concerns and the report by stressing improving services was the authority's top priority.

He added: "I welcome and embrace this report, it's not easy reading in its entirety — there are things in here that we need to examine closely and I know that we will do so over the ensuing months.

"Taking this work forward will be done with will and with commitment from us with respect to resources."

Cllr Wiles said: "While much work is already taking place to improve support for children and young people with SEND right across the system, this needs assessment demonstrates we have much more to do and the future is likely to present further challenges.

"Armed with the knowledge, forecasts, and insights from the needs assessment we are all in a better position to meet those challenges."

Councillors agreed to support all the recommendations made within the report, including detailed engagement, addressing waiting times, and lobbying Government.