Making Send services sustainable

Almost a fifth of pupils are now classed as having special educational needs but under the current system parents feel they have to fight to get support for their child. Meanwhile councils are being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy by the costs of provision. With the government promising to set out reforms in a schools white paper this autumn, this episode of The Local Authority explores what needs to happen to make sustainable services that work for families. Joining LGC editor Sarah Calkin to discuss this topic are Rachael Wardell, Surrey CC director of children’s services and president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, Susan Parsonage, chief executive of Wokingham BC and Solace spokesperson on Send, and William Burns, social care policy advisor at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy.

You can listen to Making Send services sustainable online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Making Send services sustainable is an episode from The Local Authority Podcast by LGC.

This episode is 44:23 long.

This episode was published on Oct 8, 2025.

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