Special Educational Needs: support in England
An overview of the current system of support for children and young people with special educational needs, and pressure on the system. Updated with new 2024-25 SEND incidence and EHC plan data

This briefing provides information on the definition and identification of "children in need" as set out in the Children Act 1989, the assessment process, and the services available to children in need and their families in England.
Local authority support for children in need (England) (733 KB , PDF)
Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (the “1989 Act”), as amended, local authorities are under a general duty “to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need…by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children’s needs.”
Section 17 of the Act defines a child in need as a child who:
Local areas are able to set their own eligibility criteria for when a case should be referred to children’s social care for an assessment to determine whether a child is in need and the nature of any services required.
Under the 1989 Act, local authorities are required to take steps to identify children in need in their area, and any practitioner who thinks that a child may be in need should make a referral to local authority children’s services. It is also possible for a parent or professional working with the child to make a referral.
Within one working day of a referral being received, a local authority social worker should make a decision about next steps, including whether the child is in need and should be assessed under section 17 of the 1989 Act. If it is decided to carry out such an assessment, this should usually be concluded within 45 working days of the referral.
Where, following an assessment, a local authority decides to provide services to a child in need, a multi-agency child in need plan should be developed, setting out which organisations and agencies will provide which services to the child and family.
The type of services that can be provided include:
Any service may also be provided to any member of the child in need’s family, “if it is provided with a view to safeguarding or promoting the child’s welfare”.
Local authorities may charge what they consider reasonable for providing services to a child in need and their family (but not for advice, guidance or counselling). Local authorities are not, however, under a duty to charge for services and they may not charge more than a person can “reasonably be expected to pay”. In addition, a person cannot be charged at all if at the time the services were provided they were in receipt of certain benefits.
Local authority support for children in need (England) (733 KB , PDF)
An overview of the current system of support for children and young people with special educational needs, and pressure on the system. Updated with new 2024-25 SEND incidence and EHC plan data
A general debate on giving every child the best start in life is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons Chamber on Wednesday 16 July 2025.
A debate on children's health is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday 10 July 2025. The subject for the debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee, and the debate will be led by Dr Simon Opher MP.