When systems become defensive, underfunded, or fragmented, the most vulnerable children are the ones who disappear first.

The debates around SEND reform, child protection, and past tragedies like Victoria Climbié and Peter Connelly are often linked because they all expose a similar systemic issue: vulnerable children falling through gaps between services.

The case of Victoria Climbié still shapes how the UK thinks about child protection, safeguarding, and SEND, because it exposed what happens when systems fail to listen to concerns and fail to act early.

The death of Peter Connelly (Baby P) in 2007 showed that despite reforms, systems could still fail.

That’s why discussions about SEND reform often invoke these tragedies — as a reminder of what happens when oversight and accountability weaken.

Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are statistically more vulnerable to neglect, exclusion, and mental health difficulties – and why SEND support is not only an education issue. It is also a safeguarding issue.

Mechanisms like Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) exist for services to formally assess a child’s needs and coordinate support.

Yet today, many families of children with SEND still find themselves fighting to be heard, often having to challenge decisions — through the SEND tribunal — just to secure the assessments and support their children need.

When we talk about SEND rights, we’re also talking about safeguarding.

The tragic death of Victoria Climbié exposed what can happen when systems fail to listen, fail to communicate, and fail to act early. It led to major reforms designed to ensure vulnerable children would never again fall through the gaps between services.

Safeguards like the right to appeal are not obstacles to the system; they are accountability within it.

Thus, any proposal to limit or remove appeal rights is gravely concerning for VCF and the families we support.

Children with additional needs are among the most vulnerable in our society. Protecting their rights, and the rights of their families to challenge decisions, must remain central to any reform.

Because the lesson from the past is clear: when systems stop listening, children are the ones who pay the price.