Ethical accountability and routine moral stress in SEN professionals

This small-scale interview study considers experiences, difficulties and dilemmas of local SEN (Special Educational Needs) professionals such as SEN Caseworkers, and examines the neglected ethical dimensions of their role. It argues that fostering ‘ethical knowledge’ (Campbell, 2003), rather than an increase in prescriptive guidance, will enable more productive partnerships between professionals, and between parents and professionals respectively. The study demonstrates a SEN professionalism that is able to respond to moral complexity and that is willing to carry significant personal and moral burdens in order to meet the needs of children and young people with SEN. It also highlights experiences of routine moral stress (Cribb, 2011) which are not adequately addressed by either individuals or their organisations.