Northamptonshire County Council (16 015 873)

Category : Education > School transport

Decision : Upheld

Decision date : 22 May 2017

Summary

A mother complains that the county council has not provided the remedy recommended in a previous complaint to us.

The complaint

In a previous complaint the mother, on behalf of her daughter who has learning disabilities, told us her daughter had not been provided with the proper school transport, home care and respite. The council agreed to a number of our recommendations to put this right within a three month period. The council provided none of the remedies within the agreed timescale and only started to provide them when chased by us.

Finding

The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and found fault causing injustice.

Recommendations

To remedy the injustice caused the council has agreed to:

  • contact the mother immediately about the recommendation on the previous complaint (the council was to consider whether it could offer anything more to help Miss D make up lost progress more quickly) and liaise with her about whether the council can provide any more services or items. Any communications with Mrs B about this should make clear they relate to this recommendation rather than to Miss D’s continuing support package;
  • report to us about progress on this no later than one month after the full council’s consideration of this report;
  • pay the daughter £150 and the mother £250 to recognise the injustice caused by its failure to provide the previous agreed remedy on time. The higher payment to the mother is because of her time and trouble coming to us again.

The Council should send the payments no later than one month after the full council’s consideration of this report; monitor the effectiveness of its new procedure for dealing with the Ombudsman’s recommendations and tell us three months after the full council’s consideration of this report how this is working in terms of the council completing actions it has agreed fully and on time.

Ombudsman satisfied with council response: 8 November 2017

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