Desperate SEND families report councils to police in disputes over EHCPs

Résumé détaillé

Desperate parents and carers of children with special educational needs are reporting council officials to the police over what they claim is a failure to give children the…

Desperate parents and carers of children with special educational needs are reporting council officials to the police over what they claim is a failure to give children the support they are legally entitled to.

At least 10 families have made such reports, The i Paper understands, accusing them of misconduct in public office on the grounds they are deliberately withholding support.

While the response from the police is mixed, it shows how some families are being driven to extreme measures because they are so frustrated at not getting help, according to MP Chris Coghlan, who is campaigning on SEND.

Under the law, parents or schools can ask for a local authority to carry out an assessment for special educational needs.

Once a child has been assessed as having SEND, the council must create an education, health and care plan (EHCP) – a legally binding document.

But councils are under mounting financial pressures as demand for specialist support rises. The Office for Budget Responsibility has warned that debts linked to SEND spending could reach £14bn by 2029, leaving local authorities under growing pressure to ration provision.

After making reports to police, some families have been issued with crime reference numbers, while other complaints are understood to be under active investigation.

Others have been told their complaints are a civil matter and directed to Citizens Advice, while some have received no response.

Coghlan points to the fact that parents won 99 per cent of SEND tribunal appeals decided in 2024-25 as evidence of the scale of disputes between families and local authorities.

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