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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent

‘Alarm bells were going off’: parents tell of ordeal at Send school closed down after abuse allegations

Annette and Kevin Maxwell in their garden
Kevin and Annette Maxwell say they had little choice but to send their son Jonah to a residential home. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/The Guardian

Annette and Kevin Maxwell were nervous about sending their son Jonah to a residential home for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send). Jonah has severe autism – he is non-verbal, has epilepsy and behavioural problems and needs round-the-clock care.

“It was a huge decision, but we almost had no choice because with Jonah at home, you can’t work and we had two other children to think about. He’s beautiful, but he is very, very complicated,” said Annette. “Outsourcing parenting is just foreign to us and it’s horrible, but we didn’t have another option.”

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