The vast majority of families whose children have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) in Norfolk do not feel their needs are being met, a survey has shown.
Earlier this year, Norfolk County Council asked young people and their families to make their views known on the county's SEND provision.
After hearing the views of more than 1,200 people, the council has vowed to better involve families in shaping the support children with complex needs are given throughout their education.
However, critics have accused bosses of "missing the point" of the survey's findings - arguing the focus should be on improving the support on offer, as well as communicating more.
Some of the survey's findings include:
- Four out of five parents do not think all of their child's needs have been identified
- 54pc of parents said they feel their child does not have the support they need for their next steps in life
- One in 10 parents felt that when they give feedback, positive changes are made
- A quarter of parents did not feel their wishes were listened to when discussing their child's care plan (EHCP)
- Only a third felt their child could access mental health support
- 40pc of children had to travel outside of their local area to get the support they need
However, it also showed:
- 51pc of parents felt their child was able to make progress
- Three-quarters of children feel they have the support they need to move onto their next steps in life
Council bosses say the survey results show that improvements are being made, highlighting that more than half of respondents felt their EHCPs were making a positive difference.
Michael Bateman, assistant director for SEND, said: "This is really important information as we know that a few years ago this figure would have been a lot lower.
"This gives us the idea that we are heading in the right direction - but we can not be complacent. This helps us know what we need to do going forward."
Daniel Elmer, deputy cabinet member for children's services at the Conservative-led council added: "What's really reassuring is that it [the survey] shows all the hard work teams across the system have been doing in the last few months is on the right track.
"We'll be using the information to drive further improvements in the coming year, particularly in terms of increasing opportunities for parents to participate, continuing our work to strengthen our support for preparingfor adult life and further progressing with improvements to communication."
But Labour councillor Maxine Webb, whose son has Down's syndrome, has said the council is taking the wrong messages away from the survey.
She said: "Too many families still do not feel involved in their child's support.
"The council could do with expressing a lot more concern about what is being raised and a lot less gaslighting.
"The survey also shows that while staff are working incredibly hard they are massively stretched."
While Ms Webb welcomed families being more involved, she said the greatest amount of focus should be placed on putting support in place for the children who need it.
She added: "There are still a lot of things that we are not doing right.
"Parents are not as concerned about lack of communication as they are about lack of support. If parts of plans are not being done, that is about provision, not about communication.
"I really hope that this survey does not prove to be a pointless exercise and that there will be evidence of improvement in the next survey."
Following this set of results, the council has vowed to make the survey an annual fixture - but Ms Webb worries that if concerns raised in it are not addressed, families will become too "exhausted" to participate in future.
Meanwhile, Chris Snudden, director of learning and inclusion at the council, said she hoped more children would be willing to take part in future studies.
Of the 1,200 respondents, just 62 were young people commenting on the support they receive.
She said: "We really want more young people to respond and will be thinking very carefully about how we can engage with them in the future."
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