New report highlights risks for vulnerable children when suitable education is delayed
A new independent report, The Cost of Waiting: How Delays in SEND Provision Increase Risk for Vulnerable Children, examines what happens when children with SEND are unable to access suitable education for prolonged periods. Drawing on published evidence, policy analysis, lived experience and Freedom of Information responses from 16 local authorities, the report asks: what happens when vulnerable children cannot safely wait for support?
A new independent report, The Cost of Waiting: How Delays in SEND Provision Increase Risk for Vulnerable Children, examines what happens when children with SEND are unable to access suitable education for prolonged periods. One of the report’s central findings is that education is more than learning. It states that schools provide routine, trusted relationships, social connection, visibility to professionals, safeguarding oversight and access to wider services. The report suggests that prolonged absence can increase vulnerability to isolation, exploitation and deteriorating wellbeing.
The research also challenges the idea that waiting is simply an administrative process. Its analysis found that delay is not neutral; educational loss, emotional distress, safeguarding concerns and pressure on families can accumulate while a child waits for suitable provision. The report suggests that these consequences are not experienced equally. Children with SEND who also have trauma histories, mental health difficulties, social care involvement or other vulnerabilities may be less able to tolerate prolonged disruption.
The 13 local authorities providing complete responses reported 1,937 children awaiting suitable educational provision, with nine authorities reporting children waiting for more than 90 days. Approaches to recognising urgency varied considerably, ranging from formal prioritisation and risk-based approaches to professional judgement, while several authorities reported having no formal prioritisation process.
For schools, the report focuses on the importance of early identification, close monitoring and multi-agency communication when educational access begins to deteriorate. It suggests that attendance should not be considered solely through an attainment lens. Where a child is increasingly absent, on a reduced timetable, receiving limited interim provision or awaiting specialist placement, schools should consider the wider educational, emotional and safeguarding implications.
The report recommends greater consistency in recognising urgency, improved data collection, a broader understanding of educational absence and expedited holistic reviews where vulnerability increases. It does not argue for a single national process or fundamental changes to the statutory SEND framework. Instead, it calls for greater consistency in principles while retaining local flexibility.
