DELAYS in several promised improvements to the way Thurrock Council supports children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) will be commented on in a report presented to councillors next week.

Members of the authority's Children's Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee which is due to meet on Tuesday, 1 December will be asked to 'challenge' the way the council is responding to inspections of its work.

The report of Michele Lucas, the council's assistant director, education and skills, tells councillors how the council has responded to the Special Education Needs and Disabilities Written Statement of Action, which was agreed by Ofsted in October 2019 after areas of the service were found to be failing.

The original report highlighted three key areas of concern.

There were inaccurate and incomplete records and ineffective oversight within the children's services department which meant that leaders did not know the whereabouts of some children and young people and what provision was being made for them. Effectively the council had 'lost' children in its care!

The inspection also said that quality assurance was not rigorous enough to ensure effective governance and oversight across the provision and services for children and young people aged up to to 25 with with special education needs and disabilities.

And it found that the council's Education Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans) and the annual review process were of poor quality, out of date and did not accurately reflect the needs or views of children and young people, or the views of the families.

The report gives a detailed on update on how the council has been implementing the requirements of the inspection and indicated many changes were implemented in the immediate wake of its findings.

However, and Covid-19 takes some of the blame, there are sections on the action plan that have not been implemented and are delayed.

A 'rag rating' which is part of the detailed report presented to the council gives detailed information on what has been done and what is still to be done. It shows a number of areas where action has been started but there is some delay in implementation. The good news is that there are no 'red rated' areas currently within the report's remit.

The meeting will also be presented with a report on the performance of the Children's Social Care Department by business intelligence analyst Anna Watkins.

It details a number of positives in the borough, including a rise in the number of people undertaking foster care. The latest figures show that there are 113 children being fostered in the borough.