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Navigating the SEND System: How I Can Help as Your MP
Updated: Sep 11
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system is complex and difficult to navigate. It can therefore be hard to know where to turn for support when applying for an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP).
As your MP, improving SEND provision is one of my key priorities. I regularly raise concerns with local authorities, schools, and ministers, and I am committed to helping constituents access the support they need. However, there are limits to what I can do as a Member of Parliament, and it's important to understand where I can be of most help.
In this guide, I've outlined the ways I can support you and the points in the SEND process where you may wish to contact my office. I've also included details of several excellent local organisations that provide advice and support to children and young people with SEND, as well as their parents and carers.
How can I help with SEND-related matters as your MP?
The ECHP application process is managed entirely by West Berkshire Council. They have authority to decide whether to issue EHC plans, approve alternative educational provision, or provide home-to-school transport.
As an MP, I have no jurisdiction over the local council's decisions. However, I can place pressure on them to process applications and enquiries within legal timeframes.
I can: | I cannot: |
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EHCP Application Process
Many parents and carers contact me after having had their EHCP applications rejected or receiving an EHCP they do not feel adequately meets their child’s needs.
I’ve created a visual guide to help you navigate the system and know who to contact when.
This diagram assumes that you have already applied for an EHCP. For guidance on the EHCP application process, I recommend reading this step-by-step guide.
Local SEND organisations
We are lucky to have several SEND groups in West Berkshire, each serving a different area, age, or purpose. The organisations listed below provide a range of support and advice services to families and young people with SEND.
Click to view the full list
Autism Berkshire: the leading autism charity, providing support, advice, and activities for autistic people and their families.
Send Parent Carer Café (Newbury and Hungerford) : a local group that hosts monthly meetups for families of children with SEND.
The Neurodivergence Evening Support Group : a local group that supports families in the local area. Contact them at neurodivergencewb@gmail.com for more information.
Swings and Smiles : a charity providing play sessions and support for children with special needs and their families.
West Berkshire Mencap : A national charity supporting people with learning disabilities and their families. Mencap provides advice, campaigns for equal opportunities and works to ensure people with learning disabilities can live fulfilling, independent lives.
ASD Family Help : A charity offering advice, workshops, support groups and activities as well as practical help with benefits, signposting and one-to-one guidance, and support is available regardless of whether someone has a formal diagnosis.
West Berkshire SENDIASS : An independent, free and confidential service providing information, advice and support to help families understand their rights, navigate the SEND system and make informed decisions about education, health, and care.
West Berkshire Parent Carer Forum: A volunteer-led network that gives parents and carers of children with SEND a collective voice. The forum works with local education, health and council services to influence decisions, improve provision and ensure families' experiences shape future services.
Family hubs: Families can access parenting advice, activities for children, health and wellbeing services, and signposting to specialist support, including help for those with additional needs.
Response: A mental health charity providing specialist support for people with mental health conditions and autistic people. Their services include supported housing, recovery programmes, community wellbeing support and employment services to help people live independently.
Dingley’s Promise: A specialist early years charity supporting children under five with SEND through tailored learning, play-based education and family support. They also offer stay-and-play sessions, holiday activities and guidance to help children transition into school with confidence.
Home Start West Berkshire: A local charity that matches trained volunteers with families who are facing challenging circumstances. Through practical help, emotional support and regular home visits, they aim to give parents the confidence they need to provide the best possible start for their children.
SEN friendly clubs
Several local organisations also run activity clubs that welcome children with special educational needs.
Click to view the full list
Sensory Circuits Northcroft: Weekly activity sessions at Northcroft Leisure Centre designed for children with SEND and their families.
The Watermill Additional Support Groups : The Watermill Theatre runs a range of inclusive opportunities for people who may benefit from additional support, including relaxed performances and activities designed to make theatre accessible for those with autism, learning disabilities and sensory sensitivities.
ICE – Youth group in Hungerford that is SEN friendly: ICE is a youth group based in Hungerford that welcomes young people of all abilities, including those with SEND. It provides a safe, supportive environment where young people can socialise, take part in activities, develop confidence and build lasting friendships.
The Waterside Centre : The Waterside Centre offers youth clubs, outdoor activities and specialist sessions, including dedicated groups for young people with SEND.
National bodies and resources
You may also find the below resources useful.
Click to view the full list
Childhood Matters (based in West Berkshire)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my child's EHCP assessment taking so long past the 20-week statutory deadline?
Local authorities are under a legal duty to complete an EHC needs assessment within 20 weeks, but capacity problems in council SEND teams and educational psychology services mean this is routinely missed nationally, and West Berkshire's compliance is below the national average. Parents can complain formally to the council, escalate to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, or in some cases appeal directly to the SEND Tribunal for failure to issue a plan in time.
Why can't my child get a place at a particular school?
Placement follows the EHCP process. Parents have a right to name a preferred school in the plan, but the council can refuse if the school is unsuitable, incompatible with efficient use of resources, or full. Special school places are in short supply both nationally and locally. If a placement is refused, parents have the right to appeal to the SEND Tribunal (SENDIST).
What happens if there's no suitable school place and my child is out of education?
The council still has a legal duty to arrange suitable full-time education, whether that's alternative provision, home tuition, or another interim arrangement, even where no school place is available. This duty exists regardless of the EHCP process being delayed. Families in this position should push the council in writing to confirm what interim provision it is arranging.
Can you help fund or push for additional SEND school places locally as my MP?
MPs do not control local authority budgets or school place planning directly, but I can and do:
Lobby the Department for Education and West Berkshire Council
Raise the issue in Parliament
Use select committee work to scrutinise funding decisions
Nationally, councils with SEND deficits have been given a grant covering 90% of their high-needs deficit up to the end of 2025/26, but this is a national measure rather than something I can influence locally.
Is the government's SEND reform going to make things better or worse for existing EHCPs?
he government published its Schools White Paper, "Every Child Achieving and Thriving," in February 2026, setting out a long-term reform of SEND support. Crucially for existing EHCP holders, no changes to support received through EHCPs would take place before at least September 2030, and the government has said all children currently in year three and above will retain their existing EHCP until at least age 16.
Longer term, EHCPs would be phased out in favour of Individual Support Plans for most pupils, with EHCPs eventually reserved for one group of children by 2035.
Whether this is "better or worse" is contested: supporters say it should mean earlier, less adversarial support without waiting for a formal plan; critics worry it narrows eligibility for the legal protections an EHCP carries.
Locally, West Berkshire Council has assured me that for as long as the council exists, their current processes will remain in place.
What are you doing about the low compliance rate?
This falls under my ongoing SEND and EHCP campaign through which I am regularly meeting with Councillors, questioning the government, and pushing for reform.
Can you attend my SEND support group?
Yes, I would be happy to. I regularly attend SEND support groups and organisations offering activities, many of which are listed above. If you would like me to come along to yours, please contact my office here.
