Thank you for contacting me about Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).
I appreciate the work of campaigners and charities, including Speech and Language UK, in bringing attention to DLD and the estimated 1.3 million children and young people affected across the country.
In 2023, the previous Government introduced the partnerships for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools (PINS) programme to bring together healthcare professionals, local authorities and schools, working with parents and carers, to support schools to better meet the needs of neurodiverse children. The programme is designed to help improve early identification of support for children with neurodivergence and speech, language and communication needs. I understand that the PINS programme covers all neurodivergence and includes DLD, with an independent evaluation of the PINS programme currently underway.
The Department for Education has also confirmed that it is working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to improve access to community health services, including speech and language therapy, for children and young people with DLD.
The duty of any Government should be to support the most vulnerable in society, and this includes those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). I recognise that the system is not working for parents, children, schools, or councils, so it is right that the Government is talking about reform, and I welcome a focus on earlier intervention, investment for more speech and language therapists and evidence-led packages.
However, there is still little clarity on what the Government's SEND reforms will actually mean for children. For example, there are no clear explanations of who qualifies for which tier/package, what support will be provided, what outcomes are expected, or what funding will follow the child.
Ministers have also repeatedly failed to clarify whether any existing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) will be removed from children as part of these reforms. Some children with DLD have EHCPs, and parents deserve clear answers as to whether their children's rights will be protected going forward. It is important that the Government ensures that no child who currently has an EHCP has it withdrawn.
My colleagues in the Shadow Education team are clear about the importance of speech and language therapy. The Shadow Education Minister and campaigners met with the Minister for Care in March 2024 and secured a promise for an action plan for speech and language therapy. Yet more than a year on, we still have not seen anything. I appreciate the real difference this could make to children with speech and language challenges, including DLD.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
