Families of children with special educational needs have “lost trust” in Wokingham Borough Council, a resident has said.

Helen Corbett has challenged councillor Prue Bray – responsible for children’s services – to explain how the council plans to improve its communication with families. She says promises have fallen through and planned meetings have never taken place.

In a question to councillor Bray, Ms Corbett says there has been a “rise in very unhappy parents within the SEND Carers United community.

She adds: “These families have still seen no improvement in communication and this is not only totally unacceptable, but it contradicts the message being sent to families.

“Families have lost trust as so many promises never materialise and the same issues keep happening.”

READ MORE: ‘It nearly killed me’: mother speaks out on SEND fight

She says issues include parents emailing case officers, only to get automatic replies informing them their case officer has moved on, with no indication of who they should speak to instead.

Councils across the country are dealing with an increase in children with special educational needs. This can lead to delays for many parents getting education, health and care plans – legal documents that spell out what a council must do to make sure the children get the right support.

Parents can also find that councils lack the spaces and resources to meet their children’s needs – or to resolve issues quickly.

Councillor Brae is set to answer Ms Corbett’s question at a meeting of the council’s chuldren’s services overview and scrutiny committee on Wednesday, November 1.