Dudley Council fails to issue support plans for special needs children in nearly 80 per cent of cases

Dudley Council hit the legal time limit for issuing support plans for special needs children in just 21 percent of cases.

The data on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) covers the period from March 1 2025 to February 28 2026 and shows a dramatic decline from 52 percent in the previous year.

EHCPs should be completed in 20 weeks from the receipt of a request but Dudley’s average for the 2025/26 period was 31 weeks, considerably worse than 23 weeks in 2024/25.

Cllr Matt Cook, whose four-year-old son has special needs, said: “A 31-week wait for an EHCP isn’t just a delay, it is a denial of support to children who need it most.

“These are not optional timelines, they are legal protections. 

“To see performance deteriorate to this extent is deeply concerning.”

Nationally the last published completion rate average was 46.4 percent for 2024, data for 2025 will be available in May.

Cllr Cook said: “The drop in EHCP timeliness, from 52 percent issued within 20 weeks down to just 21 percent is nothing short of a collapse in performance, particularly when compared to national benchmarks.

“This situation cannot be allowed to continue. Families deserve urgency, accountability and above all, delivery. 31 weeks is simply unacceptable.”

Dudley Council blames ‘workforce retention challenges and increased sickness levels’ as well as a shortage of educational psychologists and increasing demand for the drop in performance.

Cllr Wayne Little, Dudley Council cabinet member for children and young people, said: “It is important to understand that a number of significant pressures have contributed to this downturn, including workforce and resource challenges, increased sickness levels and significantly reduced capacity in key advice-giving services such as educational psychology. 

“This along with a sustained rise in requests for EHC needs assessments—around ten percent growth year on year, have contributed to the pressures faced within SEND timeliness. 

“These pressures mirror national trends but have had a more acute impact locally.”

Cllr Little says the authority is implementing a number of measures including investing in workforce development, strengthening its multi-agency quality assurance and taking steps to improve the quality of evidence submitted with requests.

He added: “The actions above form part of a wider programme of SEND improvement across Dudley, and we are working closely with parent carers, schools and partners to drive the change needed. 

“In the meantime we continue to keep parents updated via the Local Offer and through regular conversations with Dudley Parent Carer forum whilst being committed to working towards the SEND reform plans over the coming years.”