Who is responsible for SEND support in England?

Who is responsible for SEND support in England is one of the most common questions families ask when help is delayed, unclear or not being delivered. Parents and carers are often passed between schools, colleges, local authorities and health services, with each organisation explaining only part of the picture.

This guide explains the broad responsibilities of local authorities, schools and colleges, and how families can work out who to contact when SEND support is not moving forward.

The short answer

Responsibility for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support is shared. Schools and colleges are usually responsible for identifying needs, putting support in place and reviewing whether that support is working. Local authorities are responsible for wider SEND duties in their area, including the Local Offer, Education, Health and Care needs assessments, and securing the special educational provision in an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) they maintain.

Confusion often happens because the responsibilities overlap. A school may deliver support day to day, while the local authority may still be responsible for the EHCP. A college may arrange learning support, while the local authority may still lead the annual review process.

Who is responsible for SEND support before an EHCP?

Before an EHCP is in place, most SEND support is arranged through the child or young person’s nursery, school or college. This is often called SEN Support.

In a school, SEN Support should usually follow a simple cycle: assess the need, plan the support, put the support in place, and review whether it is working. Families may hear this called the graduated approach or Assess, Plan, Do, Review.

This does not mean support should wait until there is a diagnosis. A child may need help because they are struggling with learning, communication, attention, emotional regulation, sensory needs, physical access, anxiety, attendance, social interaction or another barrier to learning. The key question is not only “What label does the child have?” but “What support do they need to access education and make progress?”

A school or college should be able to explain:

• what needs have been identified;
• what support is being provided;
• who is responsible for delivering it;
• how often the support happens;
• how progress is being measured;
• when the support will be reviewed.

If the setting has tried well-planned support and the child or young person is still not making expected progress, it may be time to consider whether an EHC needs assessment should be requested.

What are schools responsible for?

Schools are usually the first line of SEND support. They see the pupil daily, understand the classroom demands, and are in a good position to notice when a child is struggling.

In practice, schools are usually responsible for identifying possible SEND, involving parents, gathering evidence, adapting teaching, arranging SEN Support, reviewing progress and involving the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). The class teacher remains important because SEND support should not sit separately from everyday teaching.

Good school-based SEND support should feel organised rather than vague. For example, instead of saying “extra help is available”, the school should be able to describe what help is being provided. That might include small-group literacy work, visual supports, movement breaks, assistive technology, reduced writing demands, emotional regulation strategies, targeted teaching, social communication support or changes to the learning environment.

Schools should also keep families informed. Parents should not have to wait until a crisis to find out what support is in place. If a pupil is receiving SEN Support, there should be regular conversations about progress, barriers and next steps.

However, schools are not responsible for everything. If a child’s needs require provision beyond what the school can reasonably arrange from its normal resources, the school should work with the family and local authority to consider whether an EHC needs assessment is needed.

What are local authorities responsible for?

Local authorities have a wider role in the SEND system. They are responsible for planning and overseeing SEND arrangements across their local area, not just for one school or one child.

At a general level, the local authority is responsible for publishing the Local Offer, making information available to families, identifying children and young people who may have SEND, considering requests for EHC needs assessments, issuing EHCPs where needed, and reviewing EHCPs once they are in place.

The local authority’s role becomes especially important when a child or young person may need support that cannot reasonably be arranged through ordinary SEN Support. This is where an EHC needs assessment may be considered.

If an EHCP is issued and maintained by the local authority, the local authority has responsibility for ensuring that the special educational provision specified in the plan is secured. In everyday terms, this means families should not be left trying to negotiate every part of the support alone. The plan should make clear what provision is required, and the local authority should make sure that provision is arranged.

This does not mean the local authority delivers every session itself. Schools, colleges, therapists or other providers may deliver the support. But the local authority remains a key organisation when the issue is about the EHCP, the wording of the provision, the annual review, or provision in the plan not being delivered. The full duties of the local authorities are set out in the SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25

What are colleges and post-16 providers responsible for?

Colleges and post-16 providers also have SEND responsibilities. This matters because families sometimes assume that SEND support stops at the end of school. It does not.

Post-16 support should be linked to the young person’s course, independence, communication, learning needs, preparation for adulthood and future goals. A young person may need help with organisation, processing speed, literacy, numeracy, note-taking, assistive technology, personal care, therapy access, travel training, emotional wellbeing or transitions between settings.

Colleges should involve the young person closely in conversations about their support. For students aged 16 to 18, parents are often still very involved, but the young person’s own views and aspirations become increasingly important.

A college should be able to explain what support is available, how the student can access it, who coordinates it, and how it will be reviewed. If the young person has an EHCP, the college should cooperate with the local authority in the review process. If the young person does not have an EHCP but needs additional support, the college should still consider what SEN Support or reasonable adjustments may be needed.

What changes when an EHCP is in place?

An EHCP changes the structure of responsibility because it is not simply a school support plan. It is a formal plan maintained by the local authority.

That distinction matters. A school or college may be delivering the support day to day, but the local authority is responsible for maintaining the EHCP and securing the special educational provision specified in it. This is one of the main reasons families can become frustrated when they are told, “Speak to the school,” even though the issue is actually about provision written into the EHCP.

A good EHCP should make the support clear. Families should be able to understand what is being provided, how often, by whom, and for what purpose. If the plan uses vague wording, it can become harder to know whether the provision is being delivered properly.

For example, “access to support as required” is much harder to monitor than a specific description of support. Families, schools, colleges and local authorities all benefit when the EHCP is clear, practical and measurable.

If provision in an EHCP is not being delivered, families should usually raise this with both the setting and the local authority. The setting may know the day-to-day reason, but the local authority needs to know if the plan it maintains is not being implemented.

How can families avoid being passed between organisations?

When families are passed from one organisation to another, it helps to make the question very specific. Instead of asking, “Who is responsible?”, ask, “Who is responsible for this specific support, at this specific point?”

Start by writing down the issue in plain English. For example:

• “My child is supposed to receive speech and language therapy, but this has not started.”
• “The school says my child needs more support than they can provide.”
• “The college has agreed support, but it is not happening consistently.”
• “The EHCP says one thing, but the timetable shows something different.”
• “Nobody has reviewed whether the current support is working.”

Then ask each organisation for a clear response. A useful question is:

“Please confirm who is responsible for arranging this support, when it will start, how often it will happen, and how we will review whether it is working.”

This keeps the conversation focused on action rather than blame. It also creates a clearer record if the situation needs to be escalated later.

At Navigate SEND, we often see that families are not lacking commitment or insight. They are lacking a clear map of the system. Our ongoing SEND strategic advisory service is designed specifically for this. Once responsibilities are separated into school or college support, local authority duties, EHCP provision, health input and social care input, it becomes much easier to decide what to do next.

Questions families often ask

Is the school or local authority responsible for an EHCP?

The local authority is responsible for maintaining the EHCP and securing the special educational provision specified in it. The school or college usually delivers much of the day-to-day support, but the local authority remains central if the issue is about the wording, review or delivery of the EHCP.

Can a school say it does not have enough funding for SEND support?

A school can explain its resources and pressures, but it should still identify needs, put appropriate SEN Support in place and review whether that support is working. If the child needs provision beyond what the school can reasonably arrange, the school and family may need to discuss whether an EHC needs assessment is appropriate.

Who is responsible for SEND support in college?

The college is usually responsible for identifying needs, arranging learning support and reviewing whether the support is helping the student progress. If the young person has an EHCP, the local authority remains responsible for maintaining the plan and the college should cooperate with the review process.

What should I do if everyone says someone else is responsible?

Write down the specific support that is missing or unclear, then ask each organisation to confirm its role in writing. If the issue relates to an EHCP, include the local authority in the conversation. If the issue is about everyday SEN Support, start with the school SENCO or college support team.

Can Navigate SEND help work out who is responsible?

Yes. Navigate SEND supports families, young people and professionals to understand SEND responsibilities, clarify what should happen next, and prepare for meetings, reviews and decision points.

Next step

If you are unsure who is responsible for your child’s SEND support, Navigate SEND can help you map the current situation, identify the right next step, and prepare clear questions for the school, college or local authority.