Family hubs across the country will have a dedicated Send specialist

Councils are being asked to recruit a dedicated Send specialist for each of the 1,000 family hubs being rolled out from April 2026.

The Department for Education (DfE) has also announced councils will have to prioritise the neighbourhoods most in need for family hubs to access their share of £500 million being invested into the hubs.

It has set an ambition for 70 per cent of hubs to be located in the most disadvantaged 30 per cent of communities.

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The Government’s Best Start family hubs will offer a range of support to local communities, such as speech and language sessions for toddlers, specialist parent and baby groups, alongside parenting advice, support for smoking and substance misuse, and youth services.

The hubs will aim for parents to be able to get advice from a Send professional on early development concerns, help to understand support and signposting on for any further support needs.

Funding for Send interventions in the hubs will be confirmed in due course, and will be in addition to the £500 million pot for the family hubs rollout.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Giving every child the best start in life means revitalising family support so that parents can rely on it once again.

“Nowhere is that support more important than for families of children with Send, where early, expert help can make all the difference not only for parents, but for children’s life chances.”

The Government has initially distributed £12 million across 65 local areas to build family hubs, with 1,000 planned across every local authority by 2028.

County Councils Network Send spokesperson councillor Bill Revans said “councils will want to put in place early intervention in their local areas, allowing families to access a greater breadth of support”.

He added: “Considering the shortage of some Send staff, particularly educational psychologists, some local authorities in rural and remote areas may experience greater recruitment challenges than others with a greater pool of labour in their places.

“It goes without saying that the Send system is in crisis.

“Today’s announcement is encouraging but we really need to see comprehensive change put forward by Government – and quickly.”

This comes after the Education Secretary announced that the Schools White Paper, which was set to include reforms to the Send system, would be delayed until early 2026.

The White Paper delay is to give the Government more time to test reform proposals with families as well as teachers and experts.

The Government announced in the Budget last week that local authorities will not be expected to fund future Send costs once a statutory override keeping deficits off their balance sheets expires at the end of 2027/28.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned this could result in a 4.9 per cent fall in per pupil spending if the Government funded Send costs from the DfE’s core schools budget.

The Government has insisted deficits will be absorbed in the overall Government budget rather than from schools, and that the OBR’s projections do not account for the Send reforms the Government is bringing forward.

Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Ms Phillipson told the Tories not to “scaremonger” over funding reforms.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union the NAHT, welcomed Send support being included in family hubs, and said more children are starting school with additional needs such as speech and language difficulties.

He said: “Early intervention is not just good for children and families – it is essential for our education system.

“When children arrive at school ready to learn, with their needs identified and supported, schools can focus on helping them thrive.

“It will be important that this provision comes with sufficient additional funding and is followed by investment and reform in the wider Send system, so that not only schools but also social care and health services can play their part in ensuring all pupils get the right help for as long as they need it.”