“Experts at Hand” is part of the SEND Reform which aims to improve access to specialist support for children and young people with SEND.

In May, we were asked to submit some evidence of need to the Local Area Partnership. They asked:

What stage (Early Years, Primary, Secondary, Post-16) is/was your young person when you requested support?

What additional private services did/do you use for your young person that are NOT provided by the local authority, school or health? (eg: tutor, speech and language therapy, play therapy…)

So we turned to the experts – YOU – to find the evidence. This is what you told us, and what we submitted to the Local Area Partnership. We may not have used your exact wording, but we have done our very best to group and summerise what you have told us. If you think we have missed (or mis-represented) anything, please email KatieR@PlymouthPCV.co.uk and we will do our best to put it right for you.

What stage was your young person at when you first requested support?

While the initial request for support heavily skews toward Early Years and Early Primary, a recurring theme across almost all responses is a severe delay between the first request and the receipt of actual support (often taking several years, multiple school moves, or lasting until the child reached crisis point in secondary school).  The main themes raised were:

EYFS:
– Several parents identified needs and sought help before their children even entered formal primary education. 
– Being told to “Wait and see” is a barrier faced.

KS1:
– Parents requested help for behavioural changes or suspected needs, though they frequently faced pushback or a lack of backing from the school. 

KS2:
– For some children, needs only became appernet – or escalated to a point requiring intervention/exclusion – later in primary school
– There was a sudden decline in academic and emotional well-being for previously “academically able” children. 

KS3:
– A smaller group of parents made their very first requests for support during the transition to secondary school.
– First difficulties emerged with school attendance and unmet SEND needs, or initial requests were made due to the child hitting a crisis point.

Post-16:
– Some families identified escalating needs for their children through the correct channels (speaking to the setting and LA) and now are both in the position where the early support wasn’t gained and the placement has had to cease. They are now left without a provision.

What additional private services did/do you use for your young person that are NOT provided by the local authority, school or health?

The private services used fall into the following main categories:

1. Healthcare Assessments & Diagnoses

Due to long waiting lists or strict criteria, parents heavily fund private medical routes to secure the evidence needed for school adjustments or EHCPs:

• Neurodevelopmental & Psychological Assessments: Private Autism and ADHD assessments, and private mental health/psychological evaluations.
• Physical & Specialist Health Assessments: Private consultations and testing for complex/rare conditions, including hypermobility, gene testing, POTS (Postural Tachycardia Syndrome), Dysautonomia, and MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome).
• Private Medical Blood Tests & Treatments: Paid consultations to bypass regional gaps in NHS specialist care.

2. Therapies & Interventions

Parents frequently pay for ongoing physical, emotional, and communication therapies that are either unavailable, underfunded in schools, or waiting lists are too long:

• Mental Health & Emotional Support: Private counselling, psychotherapy, family therapy (to address the impact on siblings and the wider family), and Play Therapy/Theraplay (for regulation and behaviour).
• Physical & Communication Therapies: Private Speech and Language Therapy (SALT), Occupational Therapy (OT), Physiotherapy, and specialised processing consultations
• Alternative Therapies: Equine (horse) therapy and Forest School.

3. Education & Tuition

When children are placed on reduced timetables, excluded, off-rolled, or unable to attend school due to anxiety and trauma, parents foot the bill for educational continuity:

• Private Tutoring & Home Tuition: To fill gaps in learning or to provide education when school provisions fail to deliver.
• Private Schooling: Moving children entirely out of the state system into private education (in one case, requiring a house remortgage).
• Educational Consultants: Hiring private professionals to help navigate placements and reports.
• Specialist EOTAS Resources: Buying into private learning packages (like Learning Box/Daisy Box) to support Education Otherwise Than At School.
• Dyslexia Support: Private specialised learning assistance.

4. Care & Practical Support

• Private Wrap-Around Care: Paying for after-school or specialised care because mainstream clubs “discouraged” attendance or could not manage the child’s needs, particularly for older children (over 11) who still require supervision.

Some respondents explicitly noted they could not access any private support due to a lack of finances, meaning their children simply went without. Conversely, those who did pay reported spending thousands of pounds (e.g., £3,500 to £5,000+), reducing their working hours, or leaving their careers entirely to self-fund and home-educate.

Blog added 3/7/2026