Steve Broach KC

Upheld SEND complaints rise 25% in a year Statistics 'expose the extent to which LAs continue to fail children and young people with SEND'

The number of SEND complaints upheld by the councils watchdog has leapt by a quarter in one year

In 2025, the Local Government Ombudsman upheld 1,315 SEND complaints, up 26% on 2024, and more than five times the 236 upheld in 2021

By me, for Schools Week: schoolsweek.co.uk/upheld-send-...

REGISTER NOW! SNJ’s Schools White Paper SEND Legal Roundtable with @stevebroach.bsky.social Hayley Mason-Seager, IPSEA & SOS!SEN:
www.specialneedsjungle.com/r...

Pleased to be supporting the brilliant team @ris-law.bsky.social with this important case, challenging the lawfulness of the recently launched SEND consultation on fairness and rationality grounds

Also, competence is binary

We're delighted to partner with @publiclawproject.bsky.social & @39essexchambers.bsky.social on this training based on our book 'Making Lawful Decisions' by @stevebroach.bsky.social and @torbc.bsky.social.

Book now to secure your place & receive a discount on the book: shorturl.pulse.ly/mltceu8krj

Interested to see what part of the EHCP process Ministers may think we don’t need - is it the part where:
- we identify all the child’s special educational needs?
- we specify the provision reasonably required to meet those needs?
- the child gets the right to attend a suitable school?
#SEND

The parallels with Man Utd are striking

Both Jen and Katie are richly deserving of their place in the #LALY25 final, I’ll be there cheering them on

Well deserved Anisha 👌

We were recently instructed in a proposed #JudicialReview to Kent County Council’s “Special Schools Review” (a proposal to redesignate 7 special schools). Following pre-action correspondence sent on behalf of affected families, Kent has agreed not to take any steps to implement the decision. [1/2]

That combo is practically a criminal offence

Haven’t you heard - tomorrow’s walking football is shirts v skins

The special needs trap What one parent’s experience reveals about a system on the brink of collapse.

An excellent piece from @johnharris1969.bsky.social in The @newstatesman.com on his family's SEND struggles. High praise for SNJ's "battle-hardened SEND veterans" ”Don’t take away children’s rights, because if you do, you'll have a hell of a fight on your hands.” www.newstatesman.com/politic...

I don’t think it’s a bad idea to bring NHSE’s functions back directly under the Sec of State - but when I think about the amount of secondary legislation and guidance that refers to NHSE, the task of fixing that isn’t one that strikes me as simple

2014 Act didn’t radically change the previous regime - just extended entitlements to 25 (quite a big deal) and brought health and social care into the single statutory plan (not that big a deal in practice but need longer to explain why). So ‘solving’ SEND will be much tougher than scrapping NHSE

If the objective were to create work for lawyers, this would be an excellent idea.
The real problem here must be that interventions lacking in evidence should never be in section F of an EHCP as they are not reasonably required

BABICM's poster promoting their free webinar on 'Navigating Nutritional Pitfalls: Capacity, Choices and Health Impacts' taking place on 18 March between 12-1pm.

@ris-law.bsky.social's Alex Rook and Rosie Campbell are delivering a free webinar on behalf of @babicmorg.bsky.social on 18 March between 12pm-1pm during #NutritionandHydrationWeek, exploring the complex issue of capacity to make informed choices about diet #mentalcapacity 1/2

YouTube video by ALLFIE UK Inclusive Education Conference 2024 | Guest speaker Steve Broach KC

ALLFIE’s Inclusive Education Conference 2024 was a memorable event!

Marking 10 years of the Children and Families Act, @stevebroach.bsky.social explained how Disabled people and families can advocate for mainstream education using the Act.

Watch on playback:
youtu.be/BNXhvwxaMdc?...
🧵2/12

Important JR hearing this week on the lawfulness of SEND ‘safety valve’ agreements entered into by Bristol and Devon councils. I act for the Bristol claimant and one Devon claimant with Alice Irving and Watkins solicitors, @ris-law.bsky.social team for the second Devon claimant

Webinar incoming - details to follow…

Disabled child’s human rights breached by issuing of care proceedings We are a leading set of barristers` chambers based in London, Manchester, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. We offer a depth of expertise in a variety of specialist legal sectors and practice areas.

This settlement emphasises the need for decisions made by local authorities in the child protection context to respect human rights

www.39essex.com/information-...

📣FREE event: Learn about the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), @stevebroach.bsky.social discrimination specialist lawyer will be speaking about why the CRPD should be UK law.
gmcdp.com/civicrm/even...

If you’re not already engaged on 22 October, where you want to be is with Legal Action Group, @39essexchambers.bsky.social myself and a cast of stellar legal talent at our Community Care Conference - info and ticket link here

www.lag.org.uk/events/ticke...

Concerning judgment - private facility depriving mental health patient of his liberty not exercising public functions, so Human Rights Act did not apply. Apparently no argument that given Care Act s73, all public funded care must come within HRA to avoid Art 14 breach

bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/…

Would be great if this was a day celebrating all the different types of pulse-based curry

Salt Bae would improve the PMB Ballot imho

It’s relatively simple to challenge this one, because a disabled child would be eligible for legal aid and it could well be appropriate for judicial review with the child as claimant

As school begins in England, periodic reminder that schools which choose to reward 100% attendance without equally rewarding disabled children who cannot achieve this for disability related reasons may well be breaching the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act

Have you tried Root? We are addicted at the moment (it’s best with the expansion pack imho)

Big fan of Gresham Blake