SEND Survey and Spending in Cheshire West 2026

Does your child or young person (age 0–25) have SEND or additional needs? Or do you know someone who has such dependants?
CWaC are looking to get as many carers/parents as possible to respond to their survey on this subject to gather as much information from the people who live the reality of caring for a child or young person with SEND. The feedback will shape future SEND services across health, education, social care and the community, and will be included in the SEND Strategy 2026/27

SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) is a significant issue for all councils with a responsibility for children. The demand has been rising, as has the cost, so much so that nearly all councils are overspending their budgets.
If the Conservative Government and the current Labour administration had not agreed on something called a statutory override, which effectively means that, if the budget is overspent, it can legally be ignored, most councils would be declared bankrupt.

CWaC's overspend is not as large as that of many comparable authorities because it has a greater number of outstanding assessments still to make. This problem has been recognised; during the last 12 months, more resources have been allocated, and those resources have made an impact, but there are still issues, such as difficulties recruiting educational psychologists.