The Joint Statement, SPOA, and What’s Happening Next

Following the recent BBC coverage of this campaign, West Sussex County Council and NHS Surrey &  Sussex issued a joint statement directing families back to SPOA as the route for support.

For many families, this has been deeply offensive and distressing.

SPOA is a sign‑posting service.
It does not provide treatment, intervention, or specialist support for selective mutism.
And until West Sussex commissions a team that can actually accept selective mutism referrals, there is nowhere suitable for SPOA to refer these children to.

Families are being told to return to a pathway that has already:

• Declined them several times 
• Offered no assessment
• Provided no alternative
• And has no commissioned service behind it

This is not a misunderstanding — it is a systemic gap that leaves children without any meaningful access to support.

In follow‑up conversations with the press, we have challenged this stance directly.
We made it clear that:

• The joint statement does not reflect the lived experiences of families
• Directing parents back to SPOA is a closed loop, not a pathway
• Public reassurance is meaningless without an actual service to receive referrals
• A pathway cannot function until a team is commissioned

⭐ Positive Developments ⭐️

Despite this challenge, there have been important steps forward:

• MP Alison Griffiths has engaged with the campaign and taken action to raise concerns at a higher level.
• A SMIRA trustee has offered to provide specialist training to West Sussex Educational Psychology — a significant opportunity to upskill local professionals and end EHCP inequality.
• Cllr Sam Raby, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning, has engaged directly, raised the issue with senior officers, and opened a line of communication.
• We are currently awaiting the Scrutiny Committee agenda, and we hope they will choose this item for discussion at the next meeting on June 24th.

These developments matter — they show that the concerns of families are being heard, even if the system has not yet changed.

 What We Continue to Call For:

• A commissioned selective mutism pathway in West Sussex
• Accountability for repeated refusals and circular sign‑posting
• Training and awareness across education and health services
• Honest communication, not statements that send families back to a non‑existent service

Families deserve more than being told to start again at a door that has never opened.

We will continue pushing until a real, functional pathway exists.

As we await scrutiny decisions and further awareness via press, please continue to share this petition. 

Every signature is a voice for a child who, due to lack of local understanding and support, can’t yet find their own. 

Thank you so much 

Jo