When single mother Angie Matthias adopted her 15-month-old baby boy, the council promised she would be supported.
Five years on, she says that support has all but vanished. Drew – who has severe learning difficulties, non-verbal autism and adoption-based trauma – has been rejected from 28 schools that either say they are full or unable to meet his needs.
In May, while he was unable to access school, Ms Matthias told the council she was at breaking point and may not be able to care for her adopted child. “You need to help us,” she warned. “My child that was adopted from an early age, you’re going to have to take back.”
“It’s absolutely disgusting the things that you have to do,” the 44-year-old mother told The i Paper. “As soon as you’ve adopted, and you’ve got that adoption order to say parental rights are with you, you’re on your own.”
A recent report by the County Councils Network (CNN) has laid bare the crisis, revealing that the SEND system is “heading towards total collapse” with local authorities facing deficits of £18bn by the end of this Parliament.
The report found that despite councils spending £30bn more on SEND services over the last decade, “educational outcomes have not improved whilst families feel increasingly negative about the system”.
Another mother of two adopted sons, aged nine and 12, told The i Paper the family placement is close to breaking point due to a lack of SEND support for her youngest.
The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said her eldest is thriving at a local special school that is funded by the council, in what she says is a “real success story for our family”.
But her youngest has “struggled more and more” at mainstream school, with the impact showing at home through mental health crises and child-on-parent violence. This has eventually led to the child being unable to access school for the second time in 12 months, with just one week of full-time education so far this academic year.
The nine-year-old has an education, health and care plan (EHCP) from the council, but the mother is midway through appealing aspects of the plan. She warned there is a “real risk” of the family placement breaking down if the right support is not put in place.
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“For our family, because of the additional challenges that my children face because of their early years experiences, I think there would be a real risk to our family placement,” she said.
“A lot of families I know who are in the same situation as us are really at the tipping point of what they can manage. I think there would be a real risk, without proper input from social care, that family placements would break down as well.”
It comes as parents and teachers are anticipating a major overhaul, with the Government expected to move more children with additional needs into mainstream schools and reserve specialist provision for the most complex cases.
A white paper outlining the reforms had been due this autumn, but was delayed until January 2026 at the eleventh hour, leaving teachers and parents in limbo.
Ms Matthias said that Drew is now thriving at a nearby special school after he was finally given a place this September.
But she believes that only happened because she filed a Section 17 notice to Staffordshire County Council saying her family was at risk of breaking down. This is a request for support from a local authority to help a child in need.
“I actually reached out and did a Section 17 and said: ‘If you don’t help me find a school for my son, our family is going to break down,’ which was actually absolutely gutting,” she said.
Drew had been out of education for a year despite having an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that legally entitles him to support. The delay forced Ms Matthias to quit her job and homeschool him while she fought for the plan to be implemented.
“It’s just been a fight after a fight after a fight,” she added.
Janet Higgins, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for education and SEND, said: “Demand for help in Staffordshire far exceeds the funding provided by central Government – and along with many other councils in the same position we are constantly working to do the most we can with the resources we have.
“We are investing in additional school places, tackling EHCP backlogs, and funding early intervention – as helping families at an early stage is obviously better for them and saves money in the long run.
“We need a long-term sustainable solution urgently and the Government’s delay is failing families – and the councils providing the services.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has acknowledged the crisis and said the SEND system is “broken” and needs complete reform.
Ahead of the white paper, Phillipson has invested £740m of capital investment to deliver adaptations and expand specialist units in mainstream settings.
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A Department for Education spokesperson said: “This Government inherited a SEND system on its knees, with thousands of families struggling to get the right support. We’re determined to put that right by improving mainstream inclusion so every child can thrive at their local school.
“We’ve held over 100 listening sessions with families and will continue engaging parents as we deliver reform through the Schools White Paper.
“We’re already making progress – with better training for teachers, £740m for more specialist places, earlier intervention for speech and language needs, and SEND leads in every Best Start Family Hub.”
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