Overview:

Key to names used

• Miss B The complainant
• C Her great nephew

Summary

1. Miss B complained about the Council failing to provide her with financial support to enable her to care for C.

Finding

2. Fault found causing injustice and recommendations made.

Recommendations

3. The Council must consider the report and confirm within three months the action it has taken or proposes to take. The Council should consider the report at its full Council, Cabinet or other appropriately delegated committee of elected members and we will require evidence of this. (Local Government Act 1974, section 31(2), as amended)

4. To remedy the injustice identified in this report we recommend the Council should:

• write to Miss B and apologise for the fault identified in this report;

• pay Miss B £30,000 to allow her to source and secure alternative accommodation for either her family or her son so she is able to provide a separate bedroom for C;

• pay Miss B £500 in recognition of her time and trouble;

• review how it agrees and arranges special guardianship order care plans to ensure the plan makes clear the support, including financial, the Council will provide and to ensure officers are aware of the need to follow the provisions within the care plan; and

• carry out training for members of panels that consider requests for special guardianship order payments to ensure they are aware of the need to consider any social work report completed and record the reasons for its decisions where it decides not to follow the social work recommendation.

The Council has accepted our recommendations.

Print this page