“SIGNIFICANT concerns” have been raised about the effectiveness in Cumbria to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

A joint inspection report, published yesterday by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, is highly critical of shortcomings in care provided by the local area - which includes Cumbria County Council, schools and local health bodies.

As a result of the failings identified, a Written Statement of Action is required to explain how areas of weakness will be improved. Cumbria County Council and the local area’s clinical commissioning groups are now jointly responsible for submitting the plan to Ofsted by August 21.

The report says the impact of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms in Cumbria is “highly variable” and that the local area has been too slow to implement the reforms set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

SEND includes children with dyslexia and autism as well as those with mental health problems, physical disabilities and life-limiting illnesses.

The report states: “Overall, there is a lack of joint working between health, care and education. Leaders across the partnership have not collaborated to plan, commission and deliver services for children and young people with SEND.”

It highlights how parents and carers have “lost faith and trust” in the local area. “They feel as though they must battle to gain access to the services that their children require. Many parents and carers feel immense frustration. Some report how weaknesses across the local area have taken their toll on their own well-being and that of other family members,” states the report.

Another area of concern is that some of the most vulnerable - particularly those with autism or who face challenges in relation to their social, emotional and mental health - do not receive the support that they need.

Inspectors said this “sometimes leads these children and young people falling into crisis”.

Cumbria County Council, North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group and Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group say they are committed to working with parents, carers and families to make improvements. They also accepted more needed to be done to address disparities across the county.

John Macilwraith, Cumbria County Council’s executive director of people, said: “What we accept is a theme of variations across Cumbria. We recognise the report and want to get to a place where it delivers consistently good for the children of Cumbria.”

The variations, he said, are both geographical and service specific.

Peter Rooney, chief officer for North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group, added that there is some variability from family to family but what they want to address for example is where some schools get more support from health professionals than others which may even be in the same town.

Councillor Sue Sanderson, responsible for schools and learning at Cumbria County Council, said it was a complex and challenging area but a “priority” to improve services.

She explained that government funding has not kept pace with the increased demand on services and the increasing complexity of children’s needs. In 2014 there were 2,010 children with education, health and care plans. Last year, that figure rose to about 2,800.

“We have little room for manoeuvre and what is happening is that money that is spent is over the money that is being given,” said Mrs Sanderson.

Among the strengths highlighted in the report was how frontline staff make a difference to children and young people in their care.