Parents 'really worried' over SEND transport plans

A Sheffield mum has said she is "really worried" about planned changes to school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Sheffield City Council told parents of over-16s it was considering giving them personal budgets to make their own arrangements, as it faced a £7m overspend on school transport.

Stevie Kendall, who lives in Stocksbridge, said she felt the new system would be less reliable and more expensive, calling for "reassurance" from the council that it would work.

The council said it "remained committed to provide the very best" for families, adding it would keep parents updated with the impact of any changes.

The current SEND transport system sees minibuses or taxis used, and some children have personal assistants to accompany them to school and back.

Ms Kendall has two autistic children, one of whom is taken to a specialist school by taxi.

The council provides an assistant for the hour-long journey.

Ms Kendall told the BBC: "The routine (if the change happens) would be a massive issue because if we were booking a taxi through a taxi firm they're not always reliable, so if they didn't turn up that would cause a massive issue.

"It would have a massive impact on the family.

"I'm worried, I'm really worried about what's going to happen in future."

Cost was another big issue, she said, as she could not see how individual families could arrange the service more cheaply than a council with bulk-buying power.

The law states that councils must provide free transport for SEND children under 16 who cannot walk to school.

Sheffield City Council ran a consultation with parents which ended on 12 February, with a report due to be presented to the education, children and families committee in April.

Committee chair Dawn Dale said: "We received almost 1,000 responses to the consultation, which shows just how important and significant this issue is.

"Hearing experiences directly from our families is vital to us as their views and insights will help us shape the service in the future.

"We remain committed to provide the very best for our young people with SEND and their families, and will continue to keep in touch with them directly with recommendations from the consultation and how any possible changes will be implemented and what potential impact they could have."

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