Congleton's MP has shared her fear over the current support system in place for children with special educational needs.

Sarah Russell took part in a Westminster Hall debate on support for SEND children on Monday, September 15.

She highlighted the case of one constituent, who's suicidal 13-year-old son faces a two-year wait for a mental health assessment as he is not deemed to meet the threshold.

To address these concerns, Mrs Russell called on the Minister of State for School Standards to process applications for two new SEND schools in Cheshire East 'as quickly as possible'.

"The distress I see within this system is staggering," she said.

"I see parents making decisions about taking their children to school, when they suspect that the school place might be damaging for their child, but they also strongly suspect that not taking their child to school is damaging that child – that is a horrific position for parents and children to be placed in.

"These parents are terrified. They are so frightened for their children that they cannot go to work and leave them unattended.

"I ask the Minister to please process as quickly as possible the applications for special schools at Westfields and Flag Lane Baths, previously flagged to her predecessor."

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The debate in Westminster Hall on Monday, August 15, was well attended (Credit: Sarah Russell)

During her speech, Mrs Russell highlighted two major problems with the system.

"The first is when children or their parents are seeking a diagnosis," she said.

"In response to my survey, I heard from parents who had got into thousands of pounds – sometimes tens of thousands of pounds – of debt in seeking diagnoses for their children, because they were so desperate to get them some help.

"However, when they get that EHCP, after a great fight and sometimes legal confrontation, they often find that the support that it gives is not consistently maintained, despite schools doing their absolute best – I have never met a teacher who did not want to help children with special educational needs.

"Those parents are then incredibly distressed, and those children struggle to stay in school."

The second issue Mrs Russell noted, was that even those who do manage to get a diagnosis can experience a 'sharp decline' in their mental health.

She says parents often find that a neurodivergent diagnosis then becomes a 'hindrance' to getting the mental health support their child needs.

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"That is shocking; it is appalling that people appear to think, on a widespread basis, that autism inherently involves anxiety, and therefore children with an autism diagnosis do not need support with their mental health," Mrs Russell said.

"That is what I am hearing from parents in my constituency."

Mrs Russell continued, outlining the aforementioned case of one constituent, who's son has repeatedly gone missing from home and has had referrals to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) from police, social services and other organisations.

She said: "This is life and death for our children, and it is really frightening."