Coalition warns councils against cutting funding
A coalition of charities has pleaded with local councils not to cut budgets for those with additional support needs, warning them they risk breaking the law.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), which works with children and young people with learning difficulties and complex needs, as well as those with care experience, has written to all local authorities reminding them of their statutory obligations under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (as amended).
The act states councils are required to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils.
We would warn them against cutting vital services to those with additional support needs when they set their budgets as we are well-aware of the impacts of failing to address the needs of this vulnerable group
The coalition is concerned that with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities announcing that Scottish councils could face up to half a billion pounds of cuts, savings and spending pressures in the coming year, children with additional support needs such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD could suffer.
It warns that the cost to society of failing to adequately support these young people will far outweigh any potential public sector cuts as pupils who have additional support needs have an exclusion rate that is four times higher than the rest of the pupil population and are less likely to go onto positive destinations.
A spokesperson from the SCSC, which is an alliance of independent and third sector service providers including Who Cares? Scotland and Mindroom, said: “Urgent action is required to ensure that those children and young people with additional support needs are now provided with adequate support, delivering the best possible outcomes.
“Local authorities are finding it increasingly difficult to provide the necessary services to these young people due to budget cuts. Yet, we would warn them against cutting vital services to those with additional support needs when they set their budgets as we are well-aware of the impacts of failing to address the needs of this vulnerable group.”
The call comes as thelatest Scottish Government figures indicate that 22.5% of pupils in Scotland’s schools has an additional support need recorded.
This amounts to 153,190 pupils, of whom 61% are male and 39% are female.
The number of teachers has fallen from 54,347 in 2008 to 50,717 in 2015.
