Considering SEND planning as a specialism in 2026?

As the new year begins, many professionals take time to reflect on the areas of practice they want to develop over the coming years.

Across advice, legal, and support sectors, SEND planning is increasingly being recognised as an area that requires deeper capability, rather than occasional application of standard frameworks.

From SENDA’s work across the sector, a consistent picture has emerged. Challenges in SEND planning rarely arise from lack of care or intent. Instead, they reflect the limits of planning models that are built around assumptions of independence, short-term dependency, and straightforward decision-making.

In SEND contexts, those assumptions can cause foreseeable harm. 

Common areas where gaps later emerge include:

  • Wills that name a disabled beneficiary without sufficient consideration of capacity, vulnerability, or control
  • Pensions treated as peripheral assets because they sit outside the will, despite their potential significance
  • Intergenerational gifts made with good intentions but without SEND-aware structuring
  • Savings arrangements that are not revisited at key transition points, such as age 18
  • Planning delayed while families wait for certainty around future roles, decision-makers, or care

These are not isolated technical issues. They are systemic blind spots that arise when SEND planning is approached as a variation of mainstream work, rather than as a distinct planning challenge.

For professionals considering whether SEND planning is an area they wish to understand more deeply in 2026, this raises important questions about knowledge, sequencing, collaboration, and professional boundaries.

Over the coming year, SENDA will continue to build on the work developed throughout 2025, including the launch of its 5* rated Foundation Course and supporting resources now available through the SENDA platform. (Check it out here www.senda.org.uk) 

This work is focused on strengthening SEND planning capability across the sector, helping professionals move beyond generic frameworks, develop shared language, and build confidence in areas where standard assumptions no longer apply.

When professionals are better equipped to understand SEND-specific complexity, families are more likely to experience planning that reflects their reality and long-term needs.

SENDA
Supporting SEND-aware professional practice