The Children's Law Centre has issued an urgent call for the Northern Ireland Education Minister to halt the implementation of the revised Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) framework, describing the changes as "potentially damaging".

In an open letter published today, Wednesday 22nd April, and endorsed by 14 organisations—including major teaching unions—legal experts criticised the Department of Education's new direction. They argue that the reforms abandon decades of collaborative work with stakeholders, fail to address systemic resource shortages, and shift undue responsibility onto schools already at breaking point.

Rachel Hogan BL, Specialist SEND Legal Adviser at the Children's Law Centre, stated: "The Children's Law Centre is seriously concerned that the current reform to the support for children with special educational needs and disabilities is repeating the failures of the past. Rather than address the issues that have been well researched and articulated over past decades, the proposed reforms run the risk of undermining the legal framework that supports children, compounding the current failures." She added that the "sudden change of direction" risks rushing through changes with minimal scrutiny, potentially watering down children's individual rights. "The implementation of the revised SEND framework must now stop," she concluded.

Following the warning, SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA echoed the calls for a suspension of the reforms, urging the Minister to "listen to the sector."

"From the day these reforms were announced, schools, staff, and parents have warned that the Minister's proposed reforms were unworkable, yet he has ploughed on regardless," said the East Derry MLA. "Today's intervention from the Children's Law Centre is welcome and underlines the negative impact these changes would have."

Ms Hunter highlighted a recent SDLP Opposition Day motion that addressed the vital role of classroom assistants and the immense pressure currently facing school staff. "We are seeing the Education Minister move forward quickly with sweeping reforms to our education system with little opportunity for scrutiny by the Assembly. The Minister must listen to the experts and halt these changes before they begin to cause serious issues for our SEN young people and their families."

The growing coalition against the framework includes the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council, NASUWT, INTO, UTU, NEU, NAHT, and UNISON, all of whom have expressed serious concern regarding the lack of transparency and due process in the current reform trajectory.