Our response to the autumn budget – 2025

Removing the two-child benefit cap

Kids wholeheartedly supports the removal of the two-child benefit cap, which has pushed thousands of children and their families into poverty since it was implemented in 2017.

Caring for a disabled child comes with significantly higher costs, and children with SEND are nearly twice as likely to be eligible for Free School Meals: 44% of pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and 39% of pupils with SEN support are eligible for free school meals in 2025, compared to 22% of pupils without SEN (DfE, 2025).

Removing the cap will make a tangible difference for low-income families, who often face additional costs as a result of their disability. Measures within the child poverty strategy, Best Start in Life strategy and SEND reforms need to add up to address the “double disadvantage” of poverty and disability, and enable parents to work.

Funding for playgrounds

We welcome the £18-million investment in up to 200 playgrounds across England. Playgrounds are more than just spaces to play, they are crucial for children’s physical, social, and emotional growth.

There are many practical actions needed to ensure playgrounds are inclusive. It’s not just about bricks and mortar – much like schools – so this is a big opportunity to match the Government’s ambition for inclusive schools with inclusive playgrounds.

True accessibility involves open inclusive attitudes, fully accessible facilities and transport to open up access, short breaks funding to allow children to attend and a recognition of the need for small specialist settings to meet complex needs.

Through our Kids specialist playgrounds we can meet complex needs by providing child-led play in a safe, creative and stimulating environment with qualified and trained staff. These playgrounds are a lifeline for many families, and we hope some of this funding will support the development of specialist playgrounds, so that all children can benefit from safe and fun outdoor play.

Youth employment guarantee

We were pleased to hear the Chancellor reiterate support for a Youth Guarantee, which will guarantee a six-month paid work placement and wraparound support for every eligible 18–21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning.

Our On the Cliff Edge report highlights that support with finding and keeping employment is a top priority for many young people with SEND. Research shows that young adults with SEND are much more likely to not be in education, employment or training than their peers (IFS, 2025).

The Government must invest in tailored support for young people with SEND to ensure they are not locked out of this programme. It must be designed with full consideration of disabled young people’s needs and strengths, enabling them to thrive in the workforce. We are concerned about the proposal to strip young people of their benefits if they do not take up the offered work placement: this creates a real risk of young people being penalised for their disability if the placements are not designed with reasonable adjustments to accommodate their needs.

Review of childcare provision

The Department for Education (DfE) will lead a review of childcare provision, aiming to simplify the system for providers and families, and make it easier to access childcare.

Many children with SEND are locked out of early education, and we’ve long advocated for the need for babies and young children with SEND to have access to quality early years support- our experience shows that when you get this right, it can be life-changing. This could be a golden opportunity to get funding to settings so they can be inclusive and this review must specifically address barriers faced by children with SEND.

SEND Funding

The Government has announced that central Government will take on the full cost of funding SEND provision, so that local authorities are no longer expected to fund SEND through their general funds.

After an initial flurry of concern raised by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) about the risk of this adding pressure to schools budgets, we were pleased that the Secretary of State for Education has since said that money to support disabled children in a new system won’t come out of school budgets.

Parents will still be worried about where the money is going to come from, and waiting until the next spending review for reassurance is not an option. The 2014 SEND reforms, which introduced EHCPs, promised to transform support for children, but failed because the Government failed to fully invest in the resources needed to make them work. Disabled children and their families cannot afford the same mistake to be made again.

What happens next?

We are calling for wholesale reform backed by proper investment. Reforms must reflect the lived experiences of children and families, guarantee legal support for every child, and offer practical early help.

Kids believes that to be successful, SEND reforms must meet these three criteria:

• Education, health and social care must be held equally accountable for SEND provision.
• Clear, co-produced principles of inclusive mainstream education must guide all reforms.
• Comprehensive, hands-on SEND training and continuing professional development must be funded and provided to all education and early years staff.

The Chancellor shared her belief that every child should have an equal chance and an equal worth. Now, as the Government prepares to propose major changes to the SEND system through the upcoming Schools White Paper, she must make sure that the right reforms get the right resources for every disabled child to be happy and secure.

The key question that remains to be answered is: are we setting up children, families and schools to succeed, or are we giving them a plan without the money to deliver?