The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Education, Health and Social Care Provision for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND): The Ask, Listen, Act Study
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Project Team: Dr Emma Ashworth (Liverpool John Moores University), Dr Joanna Kirkby (Liverpool John Moores University), Prof. Lucy Bray, (Edge Hill University), Prof. Amel Alghrani, (University of Liverpool).
Summary: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were already stark inequalities and weaknesses in provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities. In March 2020, the UK prime minister implemented the first national lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19. In May 2020, children with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans had their legal rights formally downgraded by the Coronavirus Act 2020. During this period, Local Authorities and health commissioning bodies were only required to use ‘reasonable endeavours’ to discharge their legal duty under section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014. Essential services (outlined in EHC plans) such as 1-to-1 educational support, mental health support, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, respite care, differentiated learning, physiotherapy and hydrotherapy were in many cases discontinued. The Ask, Listen Act study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research in recognition of the lack of robust national research focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education, health and social care provision for children with SEND. The research aimed to gather evidence and engage with children with SEND (aged 5-15 years) with or without an EHCP, their parents/carers, and key stakeholders across three phases. The study was designed around a Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) approach to enable rapid insights to be gained and priorities identified. We will discuss some of our findings and share priorities and recommendations made.