SEND in the Spotlight - Local authorities, Carrie and David Grant

Download Local authorities, Carrie and David Grant

Many parents feel they need to go to battle with their local authority in the attempt to get their children's special educational needs met. In this episode we hear directly from those working for local authorities to help us see the world through their eyes.

Julie Ely, Assistant Director of Education, SEN and Admissions at Kensington and Chelsea Council in London, talks to Nuala McGovern about how that council approaches its SEND obligations.

Rebecca - not her real name - tells us what it's like to be both a SEND mum and a SEND caseworker for a different local authority.

We'll find out more about the challenges they face and how the pressures have changed as caseloads have increased. With the reality of limited resources, both financial and human, what is it like making decisions that will profoundly affect a child's future? And what suggestions do they have to improve the system from the inside?

BBC education reporter Kate McGough joins us again to talk funding, delays and what the government is doing about both.

And we put 17 year old Stephen in the spotlight, finding out why he won Contact's Proudest Moment award.

Email the podcast with your experience, or to suggest someone who should be in the spotlight - send@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Nuala McGovern
Produced by Sarah Crawley, with Carolyn Atkinson
Digital Producer: Olivia Bolton
Executive Editor: Karen Dalziel

Produced by BBC Audio

Published on Monday, 19th January 2026.

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