SPECIALIST support for some of the city’s most vulnerable children could be drastically reduced if planned job cuts take place, unions, parents and under-threat staff have warned.

Brighton and Hove City Council’s special educational needs service faces being reduced to almost a third of its current strength under current plans.

Union reps said the changes would leave some of the most vulnerable children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) receiving a “significantly diminished service”.

They have called on the council to work with them on reworking the proposals.

Almost 6,000 residents have signed a petition opposing the cuts in less than a week.

Under the proposals, the service of five specialist support teams with around 50 members of staff fulfilling the equivalent of 32 full time roles is to be reduced to 12 full-time equivalent staff in one "generic" team.

Staff have said many of the team have decades of experience in their own speciality but face a pay cut of up to £6,500 after three years and being forced to work weekends and evenings.

One staff member, who did not want to be named, said the fact staff would no longer be classed as teachers and suffer a significant drop in pay scale was “beyond insulting”.

She said: “They will pay me less and not even recognise me as a teacher.

“Those who will remain will be asked to work many more hours, expected to work evenings and weekends, it will be a very different set of terms and conditions.

“Twelve of these generic staff will be far less able to see children and work with parents.

“There has been a huge growth in the number of children we are expected to support because of the rising number of diagnoses.”

An NUT spokesman said: “In addition to the likely negative impact on educational outcomes for children, these cuts could eventually cost the council more money than it saves, if parents and carers lose confidence in the council’s ability to make good provision for children with SEND and their families."

Councillor Tom Bewick, chairman of the children, young people and skills committee, said: “The decision to integrate that team and make those redundancies were made at a Health and Wellbeing Board during the last administration.

“I’m taking the rap for a decision and a policy that I had no part in shaping or developing.

“I will listen to the SEN workers that are affected, I think it’s important that I do that.

“All I can say is to that community is work with your councillors, work with me and let’s look at the issues that surround that.”

Further discussion of the proposals will be held at the next policy and resources committee.