West Sussex County Council has given the green light to enhance its Educational Psychology provision, responding to growing pressure on services for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The authority’s decision addresses escalating requirements for Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments, re-evaluations, and related reviews.

Council leadership will introduce supplementary assessment capacity to complement existing resources, with the goal of accelerating processing and satisfying statutory requirements.

Martin McCabe, who heads the Labour group at the council, acknowledged the impact of delays on affected families.

He noted that parents already navigating complex processes to obtain support face heightened strain when bureaucratic obstacles create additional difficulties.

The councillor endorsed the move to bolster Educational Psychology capacity within the county.

The supplementary service is slated to commence operations in January 2027.

Councillor McCabe, drawing on personal experience as a parent of a child with SEND, underlined that families require a supportive system rather than additional bureaucratic barriers.

While viewing the procurement approval as a positive initial step, he emphasised that actual delivery of improved outcomes for children, families and schools remains the critical measure of success.

Commitment to monitoring implementation was expressed, with the assertion that families merit nothing less than tangible progress.

The initiative aligns with wider efforts to enhance special educational needs and disabilities services throughout West Sussex, facilitated by supplemental central government resources.