What the ALN Numbers Really Say – and Why Parents Are Right to Be Concerned

In October 2025, the Welsh Government announced new funding and measures to strengthen support for children and young people with Additional Learning Needs (ALN). The announcement included:

£8.2 million in additional funding for local authorities, schools, and colleges
A new national Parent and Carer Information Toolkit
Guidance to make ALN delivery more consistent across Wales
Promises of closer working between education, health, and social care

At Learn Without Limits CIC, we welcome any steps towards improving outcomes. But we also ask the tough questions: will this change anything for the families living on the sharp edge of the system today?

The Numbers Don’t Lie

When the ALN Act was introduced, projections suggested around 22% of Welsh pupils might be identified as having ALN. But in practice, identification under the new Individual Development Plan (IDP) system has been far lower than expected. Many children with genuine needs have been labelled as being part of Universal Provision without tailored support.

Under the old Special Educational Needs (SEN) system, around 1.5% of learners had a Statement, but up to 20% more received help under School Action or School Action Plus. Those categories were abolished in Wales. Today, if your child doesn’t meet the threshold for an IDP, they may fall through the cracks completely.

Meanwhile, demand for local authority-funded home learning programmes is rising rapidly. This is not because families want to leave mainstream provision, but because they feel forced out by the inadequacy of what’s available.

Are Families Being Heard?

The proposed Parent Toolkit is being framed as a new way to explain families’ rights and what support to expect. However, few parents even knew the toolkit was being developed. At Learn Without Limits CIC, we only heard about it this month, despite being deeply embedded in the Welsh ALN community. This suggests the toolkit was created without meaningful parental involvement.

The truth is that families are not opting out of mainstream; they’re being pushed out. Children with long COVID, rare genetic conditions, cerebral palsy, or dyspraxia often struggle to access specialist provision that fits their needs. Some young people never even make it through the door: fitness to study policies at some further education (FE) colleges effectively bar them from continuing education.

Mental Health and Missed Referrals

The mental health crisis among young people in Wales is growing. Yet CAMHS waiting times remain untenable. Our own community has seen children referred to the Integrated Autism Service at 16 still waiting at 21. NHS dental waiting lists have stretched so long that children wait until adulthood for care requested during primary school.

In areas like Swansea, the situation is dire: ambulances reportedly take up to 16 hours to respond to medical emergencies. When health collapses, education follows. If we don’t fix the basics, no toolkit will paper over the cracks.

The slow erosion of agreements, such as having school nurses offer a route to neurodevelopmental referrals, is especially worrying. These “mission creep” changes are happening piecemeal across local authorities and health boards, and without parent pushback, they will quietly spread.

The Trap of the “Forever Volunteer”

Meanwhile, young people with ALN and lifelong conditions are expected to be grateful for being endlessly supported, yet are rarely empowered. Agencies like Maximus and some further education (FE) colleges receive public funds to prepare young people for work. However, many are kept in endless cycles of employability support without actually being helped into meaningful employment.

For disabled young people and long-term carers trying to re-enter the workforce, the reality is a life stuck in unpaid roles that benefit providers more than participants. This dependency model needs to be broken. ALN youth want autonomy and self-determination, not more paperwork and empty meetings.

What Makes Learn Without Limits Different?

We’re not waiting for top-down consultations. We’re building tools now, with and for families, to give them what they need to navigate the ALN, health, and education systems in Wales.

Our ALN Parent Guide App is built by those who use the system, and it evolves with the lived experience of parents, carers, and young people. For example, the Welsh-language translation of our website was completed by a 19-year-old autistic team member, and our content is shaped weekly by the questions and concerns raised in our online community. We’re covering the 25+ cliff edge, Elective Home Education (EHE) re-entry, rare and invisible conditions, and realistic mental health pathways. Every app release responds to what families tell us they need.

The Learn Without Limits ALN Parent Guide App is truly designed by parents, for parents. Some of our contributors are parents with ALN or disabilities themselves, bringing personal insight into the challenges families face. Teens and young adults with lived experience also contribute; notably, the Welsh-language translation of our website was completed by a 19-year-old autistic team member. This approach, grounded in lived experience, ensures that the app’s content remains relevant, authentic, and genuinely supportive for families navigating ALN.

A Call to Action

This isn’t about politics. It’s about outcomes.

We invite you to share your stories and contribute to a new kind of support network.
One that grows with you.
One that isn’t waiting for a toolkit to arrive in the post.

Download our ALN Parent Guide App – your on-demand guide through the ALN systemlearnwithoutlimitscic.orglearnwithoutlimitscic.org
Visit learnwithoutlimitscic.org – learn more about our parent-led community
Join our Facebook Group – connect with other ALN families in Wales

Together, we’re not just surviving. We’re rebuilding a system that works

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📚 Sources & References

ALN Code for Wales 2021
https://gov.wales/additional-learning-needs-code
– Sections 6.29–6.35 and 11.4 clarify duties on schools and LAs to identify and meet ALN.
ALN Reform Progress Review (Welsh Government, Oct 2023)
https://www.gov.wales/progress-review-additional-learning-needs-reform-html
– Independent review commissioned by WG evaluating ALN reform effectiveness.
Children’s Commissioner for Wales: ALN Position Statement (2022)
https://www.childcomwales.org.uk/publications/
– Highlighted inconsistencies in IDP access and variable application of the ALN Code.
Senedd Research Briefing: ALN Transition & Implementation
https://research.senedd.wales
– Insight into the predicted 22% identification rate for ALN and transition issues from legacy systems.
Disability Wales: “Understanding Universal Provision” (2023)
https://www.disabilitywales.org
– Critique of Universal Provision vs statutory IDP rights.
Children & Young People’s Mental Health in Wales Report (Mind Cymru, 2023)
https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/mind-cymru/
– Links ALN unmet needs with rising anxiety and poor outcomes.
Addysg Oedolion Cymru / Adult Learning Wales
https://www.adultlearning.wales
– Explores inclusion gaps and support available for post-16 learners.
Welsh Government: Employment Outcomes for Disabled People (StatsWales)
https://statswales.gov.wales
– Data supporting the long-term impact of unmet ALN on work and wellbeing.

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