Support for children with special educational needs in Southampton has been impacted by "challenges" in staffing and resources, according to a new report Ofsted report.

The education regulator found that some children experience delays in accessing specialist health or schools.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is provided by Southampton City Council in partnership with NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB).

Although the findings, published on Tuesday, state that mainstream school leaders work to provide inclusive environments, the report said many families feel the needs of their children are not met leading some to remove their children from schools.

Ofsted inspectors carried out their inspection from May 13 to May 17 this year and found challenges in resources which impacted the plans set out to make improvements to the services.

The report said: “Challenges around staffing and resources in education, health and social care have had an impact on local leaders’ plans to make improvements to the provision on offer.

“In addition, there can be a lack of multi-agency working between professionals across education, health and social care, meaning not all children and young people can access the support they need.”

This comes after Southampton City Council announced it would aim to save £1.8m from schools and special educational needs portfolio.

READ MORE: Council plans to plug £42m budget black hole still fall short by £10m

The report also highlighted issues surrounding waiting times for those accessing specialist education.

It said the time spent waiting for support “impacts negatively on aspects of their lives, including their mental health” adding: “One family described a feeling of ‘hope’ once they received the specialist help and tailored provision that they required after experiencing a delay.”

While many mainstream schools work together to provide inclusive environments, many families feel the needs of their children are not met.

“In these instances, children and young people may spend extended periods of time out of education while waiting for support to be put in place.”

The report goes on to say: “Some children and young people with SEND do not attend school regularly. This is of particular concern in secondary schools, where low attendance can impact their achievements and pathways into adulthood”

Despite this, leaders were described as sharing “a strong moral purpose and hold children and young people and their families at the heart of their work”.

The report goes on to say: “Leaders’ ambition for children and young people with SEND is apparent in the collaborative improvements being made to the educational provision on offer”

A spokesperson for Southampton City Council said: “The council and its partners have been working together to improve the support and planning processes for young people with SEND preparing for adulthood.  This has included additional adult social care capacity which has improved the timeframes for assessment and the Inspection found positive examples of young people having their holistic needs assessed and supported.  However, we recognise that this is not the case for all young people and that we have further to go to ensure a positive transition to adulthood for all young people.

"The joint Ofsted and CQC report highlights a number of key strengths alongside areas for improvement. It also reflects existing and ongoing work to improve outcomes for children and their families. The partnership has now 35 working days to publish a comprehensive action plan which will be published on the council’s website later in the year. Southampton’s ambition is for all children and young people to achieve their potential and we are committed to reducing the inconsistencies experienced by some families.”

"The council and its partners welcome the inspection feedback to further develop these plans to the next level.”

The spokesperson added that the £1.8m savings would reflect improvements in the "operational processes and optimisation of the home to school travel service" and not directly from delivery of SEND or education services.

A spokesperson for NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight said: “We welcome the findings of the joint Ofsted and CQC report and we are working closely with our partners in Southampton to make improvements for all children and young people.

“We are aware that some young people are experiencing delays in accessing the specialist health services that they need and we are working in partnership with our providers to address this.

"This includes reviewing assessment pathways to ensure they are as streamlined as possible, investing in earlier intervention and ensuring that support is in place for those families on waiting lists, including advice and information about who to contact if they have immediate concerns about their child.

“Improving the mental health of children and young people remains one of our key priorities and we are working hard to ensure that every child has access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”