THOSE in charge of services for those with special educational needs and disabilities have responded to a damning report.

Councillor Helen Boyd, cabinet member for children and learning at Southend Council, said: “Inspections like this one provide a vital role in assessing what is working well and where improvements need to be made.

“We’re confident we are addressing the concerns highlighted in the report, especially with regard to improving communication with parents, who have every right to expect the highest quality services for their children.”

She said the commitment was there to put the right plans in place.

Regarding the missing children she claimed “this was not a safeguarding issue” and none of the 27 were at risk.

Chief Nurse at Southend CCG, Tricia D’Orsi, said: “Whilst we were disappointed at some of the findings, we acknowledge that implementation in some areas has been more time consuming than we would have liked. However, it is reassuring to know that we are very much on the right path and improvements have already been seen in a number of areas. The key to this lies with parents, as they are the experts living with children with special needs 24/7.”