Merseyside Send Support Network

30/10/2026

💙 WE ARE OFF TO PARLIAMENT!

I can finally share the news!

The petition to protect SEND legal rights, signed by 117,336 people, is officially going to be debated in Parliament on Monday 30 November 2026!

Honestly, it’s a lot to take in knowing that the concerns raised by so many people are going to be discussed in Parliament.

But now we have a date, it’s time to start thinking about what we can do next.

We need to get MPs to attend this debate.

💙 HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

📅 Monday 30 November 2026
🕟 4:30pm
📍 Westminster Hall, House of Commons

The debate can last up to three hours. Tony Vaughan - MP for Folkestone & Hythe will open it, and a Government Minister will attend to explain the Government’s position.

MPs will discuss the petition and the issues it raises. There won’t be a vote on the petition request itself, but it’s still an opportunity for these concerns to be heard in Parliament.

💙 SO PLEASE, CONTACT YOUR MP!

Over the next few days, keep an eye out for resources you can use to tell your MP about the debate and ask them to attend.

We want MPs to turn up, listen and take these concerns seriously.

LET’S MAKE THAT DEBATING HALL PACKED!

I’ll be there in Parliament, and I really hope you’ll watch live online too. The livestream will be shared on the day, before the debate starts.

And once again, thank you to every single person who signed, shared or supported this petition. We reached 117,336 signatures because so many of you took the time to get involved, and I will always be grateful for that.

The petition has closed, but there’s still work to do.

💙 30 NOVEMBER 2026. WE ARE OFF TO PARLIAMENT!

29/10/2026

29/10/2026

💙 WE ARE A SMALL TEAM, BUT WE HAVE ONE HELL OF A VOICE. AND WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED! 💙

Over the past few weeks, MSSN has been absolutely inundated with emails, messages and WhatsApps from desperate parents asking for help.

Parents who are exhausted.
Parents who are angry.
Parents who are frightened for their children’s futures.
Parents who simply don’t know where else to turn.

And do you know why?

Because the very people who are supposed to be supporting these families are letting them down.

Let’s make something very clear.

MSSN is a VERY small team. We receive NO FUNDING. We are not paid for what we do. Every email we answer, every phone call we take, every meeting we attend and every family we support is done in our own time.

And every single one of us has children with additional needs of our own.

We are parents fighting our own battles while helping other parents fight theirs.

We do it because we care. Because we understand. Because we know exactly what it feels like to be ignored, dismissed and left to fight for something your child should already be receiving.

And we will NEVER turn our backs on families who need us.

BUT HERE’S THE THING…

💥 Knowsley Council
💥 Sefton Council
💥 Liverpool City Council

YOU NEED TO START TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE MESS FAMILIES ARE BEING LEFT TO DEAL WITH!

Children’s lives are being turned upside down.

Parents’ mental health is being pushed to breaking point.

Families are falling apart under the pressure.

Parents are being forced to give up jobs because their children aren’t receiving the education and support they’re entitled to.

Children are missing education, missing opportunities and missing out on their childhoods.

And all because the systems that are supposed to protect and support them are failing.

THIS IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. IT HAS NEVER BEEN GOOD ENOUGH.

And sadly, this isn’t just happening in Merseyside.

It’s happening in towns and cities right across the UK.

Thousands of families fighting the same battles, asking the same questions and being met with the same silence.

💔 OUR CHILDREN ARE BECOMING THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN.

It feels as though some local authorities would rather our children were out of sight and out of mind.

As long as the emails go unanswered, the phones keep ringing and nobody takes responsibility, the problem becomes someone else’s.

WELL, WE HAVE NEWS FOR YOU.

Our children are NOT a problem to be hidden away.

They are NOT numbers on a spreadsheet.

They are NOT cases to be passed from one department to another.

THEY ARE CHILDREN. THEY ARE HUMAN BEINGS. THEY HAVE RIGHTS. AND THEY DESERVE BETTER!

And behind every one of those children is a parent who is tired beyond words but somehow still finds the strength to get up every morning and fight another battle.

Because that’s what SEND parents do.

We become advocates.
We become researchers.
We become experts in legislation.
We become campaigners.
We become the voices our children need.

Not because we wanted to.

BUT BECAUSE YOU LEFT US WITH NO OTHER CHOICE.

💙 And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s this…

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A SEND PARENT.

We are some of the strongest, most determined people you will ever meet.

We have found strength we never knew existed.

We have fought battles we never imagined we’d have to fight.

We have cried behind closed doors, wiped our faces and carried on.

And when one of us is struggling, another one steps forward.

THAT IS THE POWER OF OUR SEND COMMUNITY.

So to Knowsley, Sefton, Liverpool and every other local authority failing our children…

WE ARE NOT GOING AWAY.

We will keep asking questions.
We will keep challenging decisions.
We will keep holding you accountable.
We will keep speaking up for families who feel they have no voice.

And we will keep fighting until our children receive the education, care, support and respect they deserve.

YOU MAY BE ABLE TO IGNORE AN EMAIL.

YOU MAY BE ABLE TO IGNORE A PHONE CALL.

BUT YOU CANNOT IGNORE AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF PARENTS WHO HAVE HAD ENOUGH.

💙 To every SEND parent reading this…

We see you. We hear you. And we are standing right beside you.

You are stronger than you know, even on the days when you feel completely broken by the system.

MSSN MAY BE SMALL, BUT OUR DETERMINATION IS NOT.

And the sooner those in charge realise that we are not going to be silenced, dismissed or pushed aside, the better.

💙 OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. NOT WHILE WE STILL HAVE A VOICE.

AND WE ARE ONLY GETTING LOUDER. 💪💙

Merseyside SEND Support Network (MSSN)

29/10/2026

📢 Knowsley Council’s Crisis Payment scheme is available to support residents who are experiencing a financial crisis. It is part of the Government’s Crisis and Resilience Fund.

To apply, you must:-

✅ Be a Knowsley resident;
✅ Be over the age of 18 years;
✅ Be in a low-income household – either your household receives means-tested benefits including Universal Credit, Council Tax Reduction and Pension Credit; or you are not in receipt of benefits but your annual household income is £27,000 or less for a single person or £35,000 for a couple or those with dependants.

Crisis payments available are £75 for an individual or £125 for couples / families.

💬 Cllr Jayne Lonergan, Cabinet Member for Resources, said “It’s important that residents receive the right support at the right time, and we have ensured that our funding is allocated where it is needed the most. Crisis Payments can directly support residents in urgent need with targeted support.”

⬇️ Find out more including how to apply and support available to help you apply, in the comments.

29/10/2026

☕💙 A CUPPA, A CHAT & A CHANCE TO BE HEARD! 💙☕

📣 Calling all Knowsley SEND parents and carers!

Fancy a cuppa, a biscuit and a good chat with your local MP? ☕🍪

Well, that’s exactly what we’re hoping to arrange!

Here at MSSN, we’re looking to organise a lovely, relaxed coffee morning with Anneliese Midgley MP, giving SEND parents and carers the chance to sit down, share their experiences and talk about the things that really matter to our families. 💙

Nothing too formal, no big speeches or stuffy meetings. Just a friendly get-together, a brew and hopefully some really positive conversations.

💙 And let’s face it, we’ve certainly got plenty to talk about!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had a little laugh on here about Knowsley LA going missing. We’ve even sent out a pretend welfare check! 👻😂

But behind the jokes is something much more serious.

📞 Phones aren’t being answered.
📧 Emails are going unanswered.
❓ Parents are being left without updates, answers or support.

Even we at MSSN have struggled to get a response from the SEND team.

The radio silence from Knowsley LA is becoming a real concern, and families deserve better.

💙 We’re really hoping that with Anneliese’s help, we can start to change that.

We want to see the LA communicating with parents, listening to concerns and working alongside families rather than leaving them feeling ignored.

We know one coffee morning won’t fix everything, but hopefully it can open some doors, get conversations moving and be the start of something positive.

☕ So, let’s get the kettle on!

📅 Looking at diaries, it’s likely to be after Christmas, in the New Year, and we’re hoping to arrange it for a Friday.

Before we start making plans, we’d love to know what works best for you!

⏰ Would you prefer:

☀️ Morning
🌤️ Afternoon
🌙 Evening

👇 Pop your preferred time in the comments!

And please don’t worry if you’re not someone who normally speaks up at meetings. We want this to feel like one of our usual friendly MSSN get-togethers, where everyone feels welcome, comfortable and included.

Whether you’ve been fighting for support for years or you’re just starting your SEND journey, we’d love you to come along. 💙

We can’t promise miracles, but we can promise that we’ll keep doing our best to make sure SEND families across Knowsley have a voice.

Because sometimes all it takes is getting the right people around the table, having an honest conversation and actually listening to one another.

☕💙 Here’s hoping a simple cuppa can be the start of some much-needed change!

Please give this a share so we can reach as many Knowsley SEND families as possible.

MSSN 💙 Parents supporting parents, because together our voices are stronger!

Midgley MP

28/10/2026

THE WEAPONISATION OF SAFEGUARDING, WHEN PROTECTION BECOMES A TOOL OF DEFLECTION…

We need to talk about something that isn’t being talked about enough in the SEND community- please if you have experienced this too I’m happy to chat.

The weaponisation of safeguarding.
Because somewhere along the way, we’ve created a system where a child’s unmet needs can become a concern about their parents, where a parent’s desperation can be mistaken for non-cooperation, and where a family asking for help can find themselves having to justify their parenting instead of receiving the support they’ve been fighting for.

And we need to ask WHY.
When a neurodivergent child cannot attend school, do we investigate the barriers they’re facing, or do we focus on their absence?

When a child is experiencing distress, do we ask what is causing it, or do we focus on the behaviour that distress produces?

When parents say their child is deteriorating, that school is harming their mental health, that their needs are not being met, do we listen?

Or do we redirect the conversation towards attendance, parental responsibility and safeguarding concerns?

Because there is a dangerous difference between safeguarding a child and using safeguarding narratives to deflect from systemic failures.

A child’s unmet SEND needs are not a parenting failure.

A child experiencing school-based distress is not automatically evidence of neglect.
And a parent refusing to pretend everything is fine when their child is falling apart is not someone who should be silenced for making people uncomfortable.

Let me be absolutely clear: safeguarding matters. Genuine concerns must be investigated.
Children deserve protection from harm, whoever or wherever that harm comes from.

But safeguarding must never become a substitute for assessment, appropriate provision, reasonable adjustments or accountability.

It must never become a convenient way to shift scrutiny away from the very systems that are supposed to protect children.

Because if we’re genuinely safeguarding children, we must be willing to examine the environments they’re struggling in, the support they’re being denied, the needs that remain unidentified and the consequences of leaving families to fight alone.

We cannot keep asking parents to prove they’re doing everything they can while failing to ask whether the system is doing what it should.

We cannot keep scrutinising families while failing to scrutinise the provision.
And we cannot claim to be protecting children if we refuse to listen when those children are telling us, through their words, their distress or their inability to cope, that something is wrong.

Safeguarding should protect children, not protect systems from accountability.
So perhaps it’s time we stopped asking only whether parents are meeting their responsibilities.

Perhaps it’s time we started asking who is taking responsibility for the unmet needs, the unsuitable environments, the missing adjustments and the children reaching crisis point while waiting for help.

Because the question isn’t simply whether a child is safe. It’s whether we’re doing everything within our power to make them safe.
And that means having the courage to look beyond the family and examine the system, too, schools included.

You cannot claim to safeguard a child while ignoring what is causing them harm.
And you cannot hold parents accountable for everything while allowing the systems responsible for supporting their children to escape accountability altogether.

Safeguarding must be a pathway to protection and support it must never be a smokescreen for unmet need.

Michaela

28/10/2026

🚨Knowsley Council KNOWSLEY LA – JOKES ASIDE, THIS IS NO LONGER FUNNY! 🚨

Over the past week or two, we’ve made a few light-hearted posts about Knowsley Local Authority seemingly becoming invisible. We’ve had a laugh, made a few jokes and tried to bring a bit of humour to what is an incredibly frustrating situation.

But behind those jokes is a very serious problem.

Parents across Knowsley are being left without answers, without support and without anyone to turn to.

And when we say Knowsley LA have gone silent, we are not exaggerating.

📞 Parents are ringing and getting no answer.

📧 Emails are going unanswered.

📞 We at MSSN have even tried contacting the SEND team ourselves, with no success.

📢 We’ve tagged Knowsley Council in numerous posts, raising serious concerns on behalf of families. Not one response.

Parents are desperately trying to get answers about their children’s education, EHCPs, support and provision. These aren’t minor issues that can simply be ignored. These are matters affecting children’s lives, their education and their wellbeing.

Parents are now tagging MPs, local councillors and anyone they think might listen.

And still, nothing seems to be changing.

We understand that departments are under pressure. We understand that staff may be off sick, workloads are high and caseworkers change.

But none of that makes it acceptable for families to be left in complete silence.

Who is overseeing these cases? Who is picking up the work? Who is making sure vulnerable children aren’t being forgotten?

Parents shouldn’t have to chase endlessly, send repeated emails, make countless phone calls or turn to social media just to get someone to acknowledge them.

And organisations like ours shouldn’t be struggling to get through to the very department responsible for supporting these families.

This isn’t about having a go at individual staff members. This is about accountability, communication and a local authority’s responsibility to children with SEND.

Knowsley Council, where is everyone?

Because while the jokes about you being invisible might be funny, the reality for the families being ignored is anything but.

These are real children. Real families. Real struggles.

And they deserve better than silence.

We are asking Knowsley Council to publicly acknowledge these concerns, explain what is happening within the SEND department and tell parents how they can get the support and answers they urgently need.

The jokes might continue, but so will we. We won’t stop speaking up for our families. 💜

Merseyside SEND Support Network (MSSN)