How is AI transforming SEND services?
- 22 Jan, 2025
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By Sarah Warren, Former EHCP Plan Writer and Caseworker
The Public Accounts Committee could not have described the emergency in the SEND system more accurately this week. Without urgent reform, investment, and support, there will be a lost generation of children with SEND in this country who have not been provided with the educational support they are entitled to.
The committee’s report only highlighted further what we at Agilisys Transform hear on a day-to-day basis from Local Authority leaders, SEND caseworkers, parents, and young people. The current system is not working. Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCPs) are not being written within the 20-week statutory timeframe, with only 50% of plans meeting this deadline in 2022. The costs of SEND provision are outstripping the limited budgets of councils, and children with SEND are being left behind compared to their peers. The PAC’s findings underscore the severity of the issue, stating that funding gaps and inconsistent service provision are contributing to a “postcode lottery” of support.
After over 15 years working in SEND, as a SEND Teacher and Caseworker writing EHCPs and advocating for children, I know that SEND caseworkers are some of the most dedicated professionals I have ever worked with, but each EHCP requires hours of manual drafting, coordination across multiple services, and rigorous checks to meet statutory guidelines. With demand for support rising – EHCP requests increased by 23% in 2022 alone – the current workforce simply cannot keep up. Many local authorities are resorting to agency staff, which adds further inconsistency and cost to an already overstretched system.
Meanwhile, families are left in limbo. A child’s need for support does not pause while they wait for an EHCP. The PAC report found that over 170,000 children with SEND are awaiting specialist support, leading to worsening outcomes in education, mental health, and future employment opportunities.
The Solution: AI-Powered EHCP Drafting
I can see how the system can be improved dramatically through the use of tech and generative AI. Many people assume AI means a loss of the personal touch – an automated system churning out generic responses. However, the opposite is true – AI doesn’t create one-size-fits-all EHCPs; rather, it supports caseworkers by generating personalised drafts based on best practices and legal frameworks. This technology also does not replace the human role – it enhances it by doing the basic legwork of summarising all the information from professional reports in the same way a Caseworker or Plan Writer would, enabling the Caseworker to focus on ensuring the plan is meets statutory guidelines and is compliant as well as person centred. This means that instead of spending hours drafting plans, caseworkers can focus on the other vital work they have to do as part of the EHC Needs Assessment process, including spending valuable time with families and young people.
Rather than spending hours piecing together information from various reports and legal frameworks, caseworkers can use AI to generate structured, personalised EHCPs in minutes. This does not replace human oversight – it enhances it. AI-generated drafts give caseworkers a strong foundation to refine plans while ensuring they remain legally sound and aligned with best practice.
Generative AI offers a practical and immediate way to relieve pressure on the SEND system generally. AI-driven solutions, such as those being developed by Agilisys Transform, Outcomes Matter Consulting and Datnexa, can automate the drafting of EHCPs, reducing the time required for caseworkers to produce high-quality, compliant plans.
The Benefits: Time Savings and Better Outcomes
By leveraging AI for EHCP drafting, we can:
- Free up caseworkers’ time to focus on engaging with families and ensuring plans reflect a child’s needs.
- Reduce delays so that children receive timely support rather than waiting months or years.
- Improve plan consistency and quality, ensuring every EHCP meets the legal and educational standards required, is well written and accessible and is consistent across each LA.
- Ease financial pressures on local authorities by streamlining administrative processes and reducing reliance on temporary staffing solutions.
The PAC report called for “urgent systemic change,” and AI is one of the tools that can enable this transformation.
The PAC report is a wake-up call. We cannot afford to wait for another crisis before acting. AI-driven solutions like automated EHCP drafting are not a futuristic concept—they are here now, ready to support local authorities in delivering the SEND provision that children deserve.
The government must prioritise digital transformation in the SEND sector, ensuring that technology is harnessed to alleviate the systemic issues that caseworkers, families, and – most importantly – children face daily. If we truly want to avoid a lost generation, we must embrace the solutions available to us today.
