Heidi Kennedy, head of complex care for Bluebird Care, tells us about a different kind of support for children with additional needs.
Most parents of children with additional needs will recognise the feeling. A phone call from school. A meeting that goes on longer than it should. The sense that your child needs something more than the school day can give them, and no clear idea of where to find it.
It’s a feeling that more and more families are having. Government figures released this year show the number of children with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan rose by 5.3% in 2025. The proportion of pupils receiving SEN support, without an EHC plan, climbed to 14.8%, up from 14.2% the year before. Both numbers have been rising for years, and neither shows signs of levelling off.
Schools up and down the country are doing everything they can with what they have. But a classroom of 30, with one teacher and often one teaching assistant, has its limits.
The Department for Education’s white paper earlier this year set out a clearer expectation: more children with complex needs supported in mainstream settings, earlier intervention, and stronger provision before a family even reaches the point of applying for an EHC plan. That’s a good ambition. But it also means schools are being asked to do more, for more children, without a matching rise in resources.
This is where families often feel stuck. The school is trying. The local authority is stretched. And the support a child actually needs, whether that’s help with communication, personal care, or simply having someone consistent and trained alongside them through the day, doesn’t always fit neatly into what a school can provide alone.
There is another option, and it’s one many families don’t know exists. Care providers such as Bluebird Care work alongside schools and families to support children with special educational needs, both in mainstream classrooms and in specialist settings.
That might mean a trained carer supporting a child through the school day, help with personal care, or support that continues at home so the whole family gets a bit of breathing room. An extra layer to support schools and families alike and built around the child.
For parents wondering whether this kind of support exists for their family, the first step is often a conversation, with the school, with the local authority, or with a provider directly. None of those conversations needs to wait for a crisis. The earlier they happen, the more options tend to be on the table.
If this sounds like your family’s situation, or you want to understand what support is available locally, email SEN@bluebirdcare.co.uk.
A team member will point you in the right direction, whether that’s Bluebird Care or somewhere else better suited to what you need.
The number of children needing this kind of support is only going up, but thanks to nationwide organisations such as Bluebird Care, there’s a growing network of care professionals ready to help them get it.
