Kent County Council (20 000 381)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 24-Oct-2021

Summary: The complainant alleged that the Council delayed in providing appropriate social care to her disabled son and to her, and it delayed in complying with the June 2020 Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal decision in respect of her son’s social care provision. We find fault in some aspects of the Council’s approach causing injustice. The Council has agreed the recommended ways to remedy this. We are therefore closing the complaint.

London Borough of Wandsworth (20 000 775)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 21-Oct-2021

Summary: Miss B complained about the actions of the Council in respect of her complaint about the delay in finding respite care for her children. This had caused her significant distress and frustration over a prolonged period. The Council had apologised, started overnight respite care and offered a financial remedy. The Council has agreed to increase the payment to £2750.

Kingston Upon Hull City Council (20 011 955)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 20-Oct-2021

Summary: Mrs B says the Council failed to advertise the availability of short breaks transport, wrongly said a child needed an education, health and care plan to access transport and forced her to accept direct payments when she wants the Council to provide transport. There is no evidence the Council knew of any concerns about provision of a direct payment to fund transport and the current information on the Council’s website does not say a child needs an education, health and care plan to access transport. The Council failed to properly advertise the availability of short breaks transport and delayed dealing with Mrs B’s request. An apology and changes to the Council’s website, which has already taken place, along with a payment to Mrs B is satisfactory remedy.

Cornwall Council (20 014 176)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 17-Oct-2021

Summary: Mrs X complains that the Council has failed to provide an appropriate bed for her disabled son and failed to properly support her daughter. She also complains about the Council’s complaint handling and that it has failed to remove an inaccurate social care assessment from the family’s case file. The Council is at fault in that its communications over the bed were inadequate. It has also delayed in provision of the bed. This has caused injustice. It has agreed a financial remedy and an apology.

Birmingham City Council (21 005 402)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Disabled children 23-Sep-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint that the Council has failed to deal with her complaint about support for her son. The complaints Mrs X has recently made to the Council do not specifically refer to matters within the past 12 months. There is thus insufficient evidence of fault to warrant investigation by us.

Milton Keynes Council (21 005 515)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Disabled children 09-Sep-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the care provided for Mr B’s disabled son. This is because it would be reasonable for Mr B to take the matter to court.

Staffordshire County Council (20 013 018)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 08-Sep-2021

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide her daughter, who has several disabilities, with social care support following her discharge from hospital in July 2020. The Council failed to investigate Mrs X’s complaint under the statutory children’s complaints procedure. The Council agreed to arrange and start a stage 2 investigation under the complaints procedures within one month of the final decision. It also agreed to make a symbolic payment for the uncertainty and time and trouble this caused Mrs X.

Surrey County Council (20 011 328)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 01-Sep-2021

Summary: We do not find fault in the investigation of Miss Y’s complaint about the Council’s social care involvement with her children, C and D. We do not uphold the points of complaint which Miss Y continues to dispute because they have been subject to a thorough and independent investigation. However, we are not satisfied the Council has fully completed all parts of the agreed remedy, so it will undertake the actions listed at the end of this statement.

Kent County Council (20 007 989)

Statement Not upheld Disabled children 25-Aug-2021

Summary: Mr and Mrs X complained the Council took too long to carry out a parent-carer assessment. They also complained about subsequent difficulties with direct payment arrangements. We have discontinued this investigation at Mr and Mrs X’s request because the Council has agreed to consider the matter under its statutory children’s complaints procedure.

Hampshire County Council (21 004 404)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 19-Aug-2021

Summary: The Council has unreasonably delayed responding to Mr B’s complaint about the consent form he was asked to sign. It has agreed to complete Stage 2 of the statutory complaints procedure, and to offer to make a payment to Mr B to recognise the time and trouble he has gone to in pursuing the matter, and the delay to Stage 2.