Figures show nearly all parents in England forced to go to SEND tribunal win, and the number of SEND tribunals has risen. The government should hold Local Authorities legally responsible for families' emotional distress, ensuring automatic penalties for those that miss statutory SEND deadlines.

We believe that some Local Authorities who do not adhere to Regulatory deadlines are not held accountable for emotional distress forced on families. Currently, we feel some LAs use the LGO and Tribunal as an extension of their deadlines to buy more time, and that it discriminatorily adds additional pressure to families, who already work hard to support their children.