If you responded to the SEND White Paper consultation, you might be wondering whether it mattered. Whether anyone actually reads the submissions. Whether a parent sitting at a kitchen table, writing about their child’s EHCP or their LA’s broken deadlines, has any real chance of changing what the legislation says.
The honest answer is: yes. The process is far from perfect, but consultation responses are read, coded, and cited, and a strong showing from parents is harder to ignore when the drafting happens. The last time round, on the 2022 Green Paper, the government’s own independent analysis of responses counted nearly 6,000 submissions, and parent voices showed up repeatedly in its formal reply.
The consultation closed on 18 May 2026. It ran for nearly three months with 39 questions on Citizen Space, underneath the White Paper “Every Child Achieving and Thriving.” If you responded, thank you. If you didn’t get the chance, the window has passed, but this is nowhere near the last word. The detail of the new system still has to be written, and there will be more chances to shape it.
The consultation closed on 18 May 2026. You can no longer submit a response. This page now covers what the consultation set out to do and what comes next, rather than how to respond.
What the consultation asked
The consultation sat underneath the SEND White Paper, the government’s plan to replace education, health and care plans (EHCPs) with a new system called Individual Support Plans (ISPs). Its 39 questions covered the areas where the reform is still undecided, and most of them were exactly the questions where parents and carers know the most.
Assessment and identification. How children’s needs should be identified and assessed under the new ISP system, and whether statutory timescales like the current 20 weeks should carry over.
The Triple Lock. Whether the proposed legal protections, the right to support, the right to appeal, and the duty to deliver named provision, are strong enough to carry the same legal weight EHCPs do now.
Mainstream inclusion. Whether more children should be supported in mainstream schools, and what funding and training schools would need to make that real.
Transition. How existing EHCPs should move across to ISPs without families losing provision part-way through.
These were the live fault lines: the points the legislation still has to settle, and where an honest account of what the SEND system actually looks like from inside it carries real weight.
What happens to your responses now
Your response doesn’t go into a drawer somewhere. Government consultations are read, analysed, and counted, and they’re cited in the policy documents that follow, in four stages.
- Analysis - The department reads and codes every response, looking for the weight of opinion on each question
- Government response - It publishes a formal response summarising what it heard and how that shapes its plans
- Legislation - The Education for All Bill, named in the King’s Speech in May 2026, is drafted based on the consultation; there’s no fixed date yet for when it clears Parliament
- Detail and rollout - ISPs proposed to begin for new assessments from September 2029, with existing EHCPs transitioning from an indicative September 2030
There’s no fixed date for the government’s response. On past reforms it’s taken several months, so a reply later in 2026 would be in keeping with how these processes usually run. The important thing is that the analysis stage is where the weight of what parents said is counted. A strong response carries through into the drafting that follows, which makes it harder to quietly water down the protections families depend on.
What this means for your family right now
Nothing about your child’s current rights has changed, and nothing changes for years. Until the new law is in force, the Children and Families Act 2014 remains fully in effect.
- If your child needs an EHCP, apply. The current process and your appeal rights are unchanged.
- If your child’s EHCP isn’t being delivered, challenge it. The legal duty on your LA is exactly as it was.
- If the LA is missing statutory deadlines, escalate. None of that waits on the White Paper.
The reform is a statement of intent, not a change to the law. Your child’s needs are now, and the system that protects them is still the one you already know. If you’re not sure where to start, our guide on how to request an EHC needs assessment walks through the current process step by step.
How to stay involved
The consultation is closed, but the reform is far from finished. The detail of the ISP framework, the assessment process, and the transition arrangements all have to be worked out, and that work will bring further opportunities to be heard.
IPSEA is monitoring the reform and publishes parent-friendly analysis as each stage develops.
Your local SENDIASS can explain what the proposals mean for your child’s specific situation and support you with current EHCP applications and reviews.
Special Needs Jungle publishes detailed, question-by-question policy analysis and will follow the government response and the legislation as it moves.
When the government publishes its response and the draft legislation appears, watch for fresh consultations on the detail. That’s where the next round of parent voice will count.
Read next
For the full picture of what the White Paper proposes and the timeline behind it, see The SEND White Paper: What It Means for Your Family.