Norfolk County Council has voted to pursue the recruitment of 100 additional specialist staff — including teachers, therapists and child psychologists — to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The motion, proposed by Cllr Alexandra Kemp, was carried by 69 votes to 5 with 2 abstentions. It comes as Norfolk County Council awaits Government approval of its SEND Reform Plan, which aims to improve early intervention and identification of neurodiversity within 18 weeks.

The plan also includes mental health support in every school and a greater focus on including SEND pupils in mainstream settings through a new scheme called "Experts at Hand".

Once the Government accepts the plan, the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and SEND will be responsible for advertising the specialist roles and training opportunities across the county.

Norfolk has a higher proportion of young people with SEND than the national average, putting pressure on existing services. Councillors acknowledged that recruiting to the 100 new posts would be a significant challenge given national workforce shortages.

The council noted that Norfolk had previously had success attracting educational psychologists by offering strong professional development, flexible working, and links with the University of East Anglia — an approach it intends to replicate across the wider recruitment drive.

A separate question raised at the same meeting highlighted concerns from the Institute for Government that NHS reorganisation could see up to 18,000 jobs lost nationally, with SEND health teams disproportionately affected — a risk the council said it was actively managing and lobbying the Government about.