Staff providing special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services have sent an open letter to parents and carers following strike action.

The letter was written after Leicestershire County Council (LCC) said it was "disappointed staff are striking over changes designed to ensure children with additional needs receive the right support all year round".

Referring to the county council's statement, staff said alternatives were suggested, but not taken up by the council.

Signed by LCC early years SEND inclusion advisors, the letter said: "The council has stated that these proposed changes are about providing year-round support.

"We want to reassure you that our service already provides support for 49 weeks of the year. During consultation, we suggested practical ways to extend this to full-year cover without removing qualified teacher status (QTS), reducing pay, or changing employment conditions.

"These alternatives were not taken forward."

The county council previously said plans to make changes to the early years SEND team reflected "rises in demand for support and would make sure the vital service also operates 52 weeks a year".

In the letter, SEND inclusion advisors said that taking strike action was something they "never wanted to do" and was taken as "an absolute last resort after many months of feeling unheard and excluded from decisions that directly affect both our work and the support your children receive".

They added "The core issue is not about our willingness to support children all year round, we already do, and we were willing to do more. The issue is how the changes are being implemented."

Staff said that under the proposals:

• Qualified Teacher Status would no longer be required for roles that should still involve teaching-level responsibilities
• Staff would move onto lower pay scales and less favourable terms and conditions
• Some staff would face redundancy or "must apply for new roles that do not fully reflect our expertise"

They added: "We are deeply concerned about what this could mean for your children."

A Leicestershire County Council spokesperson said: "This is about making sure our most vulnerable children and families receive consistent, year round support.

"Modernising the service will ensure we can support children with additional needs to access wraparound and holiday care which is not currently available, and we're following the correct, legal process required to do this. To be clear, this is not 'fire and rehire'.

"We value the professionalism of our staff and have worked closely with trade union representatives for a number of months to try to reach an agreement.

"We're disappointed that we've reached the point of strike action and want to reassure parents that we will keep them informed and do our best to keep any disruption to a minimum."

The council added there were "no plans to reduce the number of Early Years SEND and inclusion advisors who play an important role working with some of our youngest, most vulnerable children".

You can read the full letter below:

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are writing to you as Early Years SEND Inclusion Advisors (Senior SEND Advisors, SEND Advisors and Communication and Interaction Advisors) currently affected by proposed changes within Leicestershire County Council. You may have read that we are taking Industrial Action and we wanted to tell you our story.

We are a team of passionate, experienced professionals dedicated to supporting some of the youngest and most vulnerable children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across Leicestershire.

Many of you will know us directly. We work alongside your children, in your homes and early years settings, building trusted relationships over time.

We do this work because we care deeply about children and families like yours. We want to be open with you: taking strike action is something we never wanted to do. It has been an absolute last resort after many months of feeling unheard and excluded from decisions that directly affect both our work and the support your children receive.

The Council has stated that these proposed changes are about providing year-round support. We want to reassure you that our service already provides support for 49 weeks of the year.

During consultation, we suggested practical ways to extend this to full-year cover without removing Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), reducing pay, or changing employment conditions. These alternatives were not taken forward.

The core issue is not about our willingness to support children all year round—we already do, and we were willing to do more. The issue is how the changes are being implemented.

• Under the proposals:
• Qualified Teacher Status would no longer be required for roles that should still involve teaching-level responsibilities
• Staff would move onto lower pay scales and less favourable terms and conditions
• Some of us face redundancy or must apply for new roles that do not fully reflect our expertise

We are deeply concerned about what this could mean for your children.

Children with SEND deserve access to highly qualified, experienced professionals. Removing the requirement for QTS risks creating inequality, where some children continue to receive support from qualified teachers while others do not. We do not believe this is fair or in the best interests of children.

Many of us are also parents and carers. Like you, we are balancing work, family life, and the needs of children with additional needs. These changes affect not just our jobs, but our lives and our ability to continue working in the roles we love.

We are also concerned by the way this process has been handled. We have tried repeatedly to engage in constructive dialogue and to offer solutions. Unfortunately, we have not felt genuinely listened to.

We want to be clear: we are not opposed to change. We understand that services must evolve. We are willing to be part of those changes and to help shape solutions that work. But we cannot support changes that reduce the quality of professional support available to your children or undermine the expertise that this work depends on.

We are sharing this with you because you deserve to understand what is happening and how it may affect the support your child receives.

We respectfully ask for your support:

• By taking the time to understand our concerns
• By asking questions and seeking clarity from decision-makers
• By standing with us in calling for a fair and constructive resolution

Most importantly, we ask you to stand with the children, families and experienced professionals who make this service what it is. We remain committed to you and your children, and we will continue to advocate for the support they deserve.

Yours sincerely,

Early Years SEND Inclusion Advisors

Leicestershire County Council