Following an investigation councillors found that “lack of communication” was the biggest source of “frustration” for parents, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter
Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) need better communication from Barking and Dagenham Council, a review has found.
The finding followed an investigation by councillors into the process for families applying for education, health and care plans (EHCP). The documents set out what support councils have to legally provide children with special educational needs.
Councillors found that “lack of communication is the most recurring area of frustration for parents” during the EHCP process.
They added that parents also needed more “face-to-face interaction” with council staff during the process.
Their report said: “Many parents of Send children are often vulnerable and/or at breaking point. This would help provide reassurance through a more empathetic approach.”
Councillors on the authority’s overview and scrutiny committee launched the review last year after a “significant rise in demand” for EHCPs – a challenge faced by councils across the country.
The rise has meant councils have struggled to complete EHCP assessments within the statutory 20-week time frame.
The review found that requests for EHCPs in Barking and Dagenham rose by 100% in 2022 – more than four times the national average.
It says that in April 2025, 1,000 more children had EHCPs in the borough than in January 2023. However, the review also found that the council issued just under 25% of EHCPs within the 20 weeks between 2022 and 2025.
It said the council had put in place a “complex staffing structure to deal with this increased demand”.
But it added that “vacancies within the pressurised service” meant it currently “cannot meet this need”.
This comes after the council revealed last month that a third of its Send team left last year, with bosses saying staff were working in “an incredibly high-pressured envrionment”.
Councillors found parents they spoke to during the review had “significant difficulty contacting the EHCP team, with limited responses to emails and unanswered phone calls”.
The review highlighted “poor communication practices, including delayed responses and disrespectful interactions with parents”.
Labour councillor Andrew Achilleos, who led the review, presented it to meeting of the committee on Wednesday 11th. He said: “The one thing that was overridingly clear was communication is absolutely vital.
“It was also felt that many of the parents would benefit from face-to-face interactions where possible.
“From discussions, what we heard was, what’s often lost in the day to to day processing of applications is the human element. These are people, these are families, these are our residents, these are children in our borough.”
The review recommended that the council should allow parents to track the progress of their EHCP application online. It also said the EHCP team should be “more contactable” and provide “more face-to-face interaction”.
Cllr Achilleos said: “If that is the only thing we achieve from this report it will improve the service and process greatly for our residents and those reaching out to the service.”
