Expert EHCP help for families across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Birmingham is England’s largest local authority for children’s services, and its SEND system has been under sustained scrutiny. A joint Ofsted and Care Quality Commission area SEND inspection in 2021 identified widespread and systemic failings across the Birmingham Local Area Partnership (Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Children’s Trust, and the local NHS Integrated Care Board). A follow-up inspection in June 2025 recognised real progress - including more co-produced EHC plans and shorter waits for some therapies - but still found inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

For families, this backdrop matters in practice: it is one of the reasons EHC needs assessment requests, draft plans, and annual reviews in Birmingham are so often delayed, under-specified, or issued without meaningful engagement with independent evidence. Understanding this context helps families know when a delay is part of a wider, documented pattern rather than something unique to their case - and how to escalate accordingly.

The wider West Midlands region also includes separate local authorities such as Solihull, Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton, and Coventry, each running its own EHC process. SEND Tribunal appeals from across the region are registered with the national First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability); most hearings now take place remotely by video, with in-person hearings, where needed, arranged at a venue within reasonable travelling distance of your home.