Summary: Ms B, who looks after her two grandchildren under a fostering arrangement, complains that the Council has failed to act in line with a Care Order regarding funding for an extension to her home and a people carrier vehicle.

Finding

The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.

Recommendations

The Council has agreed to:

• write and send an apology to Ms B for the fault we have identified and the impact it had on her and her family;
• pay Ms B of £24,000 to reflect the avoidable distress she and her family suffered living in overcrowded conditions for 10 years (this is £200 a month);
• pay Ms B of £500 to reflect the distress and uncertainty she suffered because of the Council’s failure to make a decision in line with the Care Order on funding for a people carrier vehicle; and
• reimburse all Ms B’s storage costs for the period of December 2016 to January 2019 (Ms B to provide the Council with invoices for this period).

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