Northumberland to look again at transport for teens following Ombudsman investigation Northumberland County Council has agreed to look again at families’ applications for school transport for teenagers with special educational needs after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found its policy was flawed. The Ombudsman investigated after the mother of a teenager, who has an Education, Hea ...

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 ...

Ombudsman writes to Secretary of State after council refuses to accept recommendation on abuse survivor’s complaint The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Right Honourable Steve Reed MP OBE highlighting concerns about Leicester City Council. The council has objected to being held accountable after fai ...

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 ...

Salford woman left without proper support because council failed to reassess her A Salford woman with autism was left without proper support after the city council failed to review her care plan for more than five years, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The Ombudsman’s investigation also found Salford City Council has not carried out any autism awareness training for staf ...

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 ...

Council agrees to review its school transport policy following Ombudsman investigation Sandwell council has agreed to review its school transport policy after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found flaws in the way it considered a family’s application for travel support. The parents applied for transport for their son, who has special needs and attends a school more than three miles ...

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 ...

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, ...

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 ...