CWC26105 - SEND Reforms Consultancy Services

Wolverhampton, in line with national trends, faces sustained growth in the number and complexity of children requiring additional SEND support. Specifically, the Council continues to experience rising demand for Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNAs), and an increasing number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) being issued and maintained.

This increase in demand is also creating sufficiency and financial pressures, with specialist placement demand increasing. Reliance on high cost, external specialist independent provision is a significant issue.

Given the system-wide issues that are nationally recognised around SEND, there is a need for significant transformation. Publication of a Government SEND reform White Paper sets out a multi-year programme of reform intended to create a more sustainable national system.

Within Wolverhampton, the partnership is taking a proactive approach and has a strong ambition to move towards a more inclusive, proactive and financially sustainable SEND system - with schools at the centre, improved collaboration between education, health and care partners, and decisions driven by robust, shared intelligence rather than immediate pressure.

At this stage, the priority for CWC is a focused diagnostic phase to help the Council better understand a small number of persistent system challenges and identify practical opportunities for improvement, specifically:

• Understand the system and process barriers affecting the timeliness and effectiveness of statutory processes, particularly Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
• Explore how specialist provision is currently being used, whether this is aligned to children and young people's needs, and where greater clarity or consistency may be required
• Review the role of alternative provision within the wider SEND and inclusion system, including how and when it is used and the extent to which it is supporting positive pathways
• Bring together insight from education, health and social care partners so that the diagnostic reflects the whole system rather than the local authority alone
• Provide a clear evidence base, practical findings and agreed next steps to inform subsequent improvement activity from autumn 2026 onwards

This service is a 15-week diagnostic project running from July to October 2026. The work is designed to explore current practice in depth, understand what is driving pressure or delay, and identify where targeted changes could improve system effectiveness and outcomes for children and young people.