Ombudsman criticises Worcestershire County Council’s complaints policy in special educational needs investigation The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised the way Worcestershire County Council dealt with a mother’s complaint about the lack of alternative education provided for her son, when mainstream school was no longer suitable for him. The boy, who has Special Educational ...

Ombudsman report highlights gaps in Special Educational Needs system The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s report about Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council highlights gaps in the redress system to put things right for people if problems occur when parents of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) take their cases to Tribunal. The Ombudsman’s investigation found Dudley took 104 w ...

Rochdale’s systemic SEND issues highlighted in Ombudsman report Rochdale Borough Council has admitted to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman that it has a backlog of nearly 1,500 support plans to review for children with special educational needs and disabilities. To ensure children and young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan are having their needs met properly, thei ...

Leicestershire agrees to review processes after visually impaired woman left without support Leicestershire County Council has agreed to Ombudsman recommendations to improve how it prepares social care and support plans after a severely visually impaired woman was left without the day-to-day support she needed for 21 months. The woman looked after herself without support for a significant period, ...

Disabled woman had care package reduced by more than half following flawed assessment by Bolton council The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council significantly reduced a disabled woman’s care package without properly assessing her needs. The woman, who is registered blind and has numerous health conditions and disabilities, previously received a ...

Milton Keynes did not do enough to support woman A Milton Keynes woman who agreed to care for a relative’s child when they no longer could, is to be offered £30,000 after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the council did not do enough to help ease their overcrowded living conditions. The woman took over the care of a young relative under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO), whic ...

Councils must meet all assessed care needs, says Ombudsman People who need care should not be asked to choose which of their needs, identified through an assessment, their council should meet, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said. An investigation by the Ombudsman found a man was placed in this situation, incurring him more than £17,000 in costs, by Northamptonshire County Coun ...

Councils reminded of their duty to provide alternative education The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is reminding council school attendance teams that their duty to provide alternative education may arise for reasons other than exclusion and illness. West Sussex County Council has been told to apologise for not considering whether it should provide alternative education and support for ...

City council to review transport policy for adults with special educational needs following Ombudsman investigation A Birmingham mother had to drive five hours a day to take her adult son, who had ‘severe and critical needs’, to his specialist college, because Birmingham City Council did not provide him with transport, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The 20-year-old, who ...

Homeless Lewisham mother placed in mouldy accommodation near to her abuser – Ombudsman reports Lewisham council has agreed to pay a mother more than £14,000 after it left her in such poorly maintained temporary accommodation that it hospitalised her child. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman was asked to investigate after the mother claimed the council failed to meet its homelessness d ...