Ministers called to invest in specialist workforce for children

Prospect has signed an open letter to government ministers calling for urgent action on planning for the future of the specialist workforce needed to support children and young people.

The open letter, signed by a broad coalition of charities, royal colleges and professionals who work with children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, is addressed to ministers at the Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care.

The letter states:

“Ensuring children, young people and their families can access the specialist support they need from expert professionals is essential at every stage of their lives – from the early years, throughout their school lives, and, for those over 16, in colleges.”

It lists a variety of issues affecting the specialist workforce, including:

• an insufficient number of specialists being trained to meet demand
• a falling number of specialists, including through them failing to be retained and supported to further develop their specialisms, with some leaving the public sector
• an increased demand for support in general and in more complex cases in particular
• responding to the pressures of COVID-19 which has exacerbated pre-existing demands on the specialist workforce and increased waiting times to access them.

The letter concludes:

“This is an urgent issue. Without access now to the specialist support they need, children and young people, including those with SEND, will be at increased risk of poorer educational outcomes. In addition, the children, young people and families we work with tell us about the negative impact of not being able to access support. They tell us it affects their education, mental health and wellbeing, home and social life, employment prospects and life chances.”

In an appendix, the letter lists more than 20 specialists, such as:

• Speech and language therapists
• Educational psychologists
• Occupational therapists
• Health visitors
• Physiotherapists

Download a sample of the letter.