Today, Terry Jermy, Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk, highlighted in Parliament, receipt of a letter from Norfolk County Council, that sought to end the support his office provides to the families of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in the constituency.
Terry Jermy MP is one of only two MPs in England to employ a SEND Specialist Caseworker. This hiring was in response to the high volume of SEND casework and the inadequate local support constituents with SEND and their families were receiving.
In their letter to Terry Jermy MP, Norfolk County Council sought to stop the involvement of Mr Jermy’s SEND Specialist Caseworker in Tribunal hearings.
The SEND Specialist Caseworker provides direct practical support to South West Norfolk families seeking to secure an appropriate SEND provision and uphold the rights of their children. Included within this scope of work is for the Caseworker to provide support for families preparing for Tribunal hearings.
Terry Jermy MP said: “This letter from Norfolk County Council is a sad and yet perfect example of their distressing approach to SEND. Instead of working to help children and young people with SEND and their families, they have sought to limit the vital support my office provides.
“I am proud to employ a SEND Specialist Caseworker. Too many families know the anguish of navigating the SEND system. In almost every conversation I have with families, I hear of the immense difficulties and distress they experience in trying to navigate the system.
“To see people whose job is to help local families purposefully try to stop the support my office provides is appalling, and I believe the people of South West Norfolk have a right to know.”
The MP raised the issue with Sir Alan Campbell MP, Leader of the House of Commons during Business Questions on Thursday, 18th December 2025.
Mr Campbell MP said; “Politics is about choices and it’s about priorities, and it’s a great pity that the council appears to have set themselves at odds with so many families in the area by taking the position that they have.”
Terry Jermy MP held four SEND Roundtable events in the Autumn for both families and schools, in addition to two SEND surveys. The results of the surveys will form a forthcoming report which will focus on the impact of rurality on SEND and outline further recommendations to help fix the SEND crisis.
