Co-producing an Equity Evaluation of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Policy for Ethnically and Racially Minoritised Children and Young People’s Mental Health in England

Decades of documented ethnic disproportionalities in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision, particularly for social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, raises concerns that current practices may be culturally insensitive for racially and ethnically minoritised children and young people. Despite the well-established role of social determinants of health and growing awareness of the need for cultural safety and trauma-informed practices, their integration into UK policy remains unclear, with limited research examining equity-oriented approaches in SEND policy. This co-produced study examined national and local SEND policy and guidelines across three domains: justice and equity; specificity of content related to mental health, cultural safety and trauma-informed practice; as well as effective implementation. Systematic searches of government and local authority websites identified eligible content which we analysed using a co-developed coding framework. We calculated the frequency of content meeting baseline criteria and examined the patterns, implications, and significance of the content relating to inequalities, social determinants of health, human rights, participation and empowerment; content specificity regarding social, emotional and mental health needs, cultural safety and trauma-informed practices; and reference to responsibility, monitoring, complaints processes and enforcement mechanisms. Input from peer researchers and community-based stakeholder advisors was integrated into every stage of the study. Our findings revealed significant gaps and opportunities for improvement, highlighting the need for stronger accountability measures and a more explicit focus on equitable practices in guiding SEND provision. The research highlights the need to establish a unified vision for a more equitable system that centres children and young people’s rights to education, health and participation.