East Sussex County Council (24 008 152)

Statement Upheld Other 28-Apr-2025

Summary: Mrs B complained about the process leading to, and content of, a section 17 family assessment in respect of her son, C. We have found fault because the Council did not arrange a proper assessment visit with Mrs B or allow her the opportunity to comment on negative conclusions reached about her as part of the assessment. We welcome the Council’s offer to meet with Mrs B now and consider if any further changes to the assessment are possible. The Council has also agreed to apologise to Mrs B, pay her £300 and improve its procedures for the future.

East Sussex County Council (24 009 698)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-Apr-2025

Summary: Mrs Y complains the alternative provision offered by the Council was not suitable for her son, D, after he was permanently excluded from primary school. She also complains about delays in reviewing D’s Education Health and Care Plan. We find no fault in the alternative provision initially offered by the Council. However, there was delay in reviewing D’s plan which meant the type of interim provision was not changed as quickly as it should have been. The Council will apologise and pay £200 to Mrs Y in recognition of her delayed appeal rights and £1500 to D for his educational benefit.

East Sussex County Council (24 008 593)

Statement Upheld Residential care 05-May-2025

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council and its care provider, Voyage 1 Limited, failed to ensure her daughter, Ms Y, received all the one-to-one (1:1) support she had been assessed as needing, resulting in her lacking support with social activities and leading to her becoming withdrawn. The Council accepts Ms Y did not receive all her 1:1 support and has offered to pay financial redress for two and a half years. But, Ms Y did not receive all her 1:1 support for three and a half years from March 2021. This left Ms Y without the support she needed with personal care and limited, if not removed, opportunities for social activities. The Council needs to extend its offer of financial redress to cover the period from March 2020.

East Sussex County Council (24 017 390)

Statement Upheld Other 28-May-2025

Summary: Miss X complained about how the Council delivered support to her children. We have found that the Council was at fault, as it has not yet dealt with Miss X’s complaint properly. It will now do so.

East Sussex County Council (24 014 658)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-May-2025

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to provide the Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy from her child’s Education, Health and Care Plan since September 2023. Ms X also complained the Council failed to provide suitable education for her child while absent from school and declined to complete an early annual review. We found fault with the Council delaying providing some Education, Health and Care Plan provision from June 2024 until November 2024 and Alternative Provision of education in September 2024. The Council agreed to apologise to Ms X and pay her a total of £550 to recognise the distress, frustration and lost opportunity caused. The Council also agreed to put specific missing Education, Health and Care Plans provision in place.

East Sussex County Council (24 015 399)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 16-Jun-2025

Summary: Miss Y complained the Council delayed in issuing her son’s Education, Health and Care Plan which meant that Miss Y paid school fees for five weeks longer than she otherwise would have. We find fault and injustice which the Council should remedy with a payment equivalent to the school fees paid by Miss Y between 5 September and 10 October 2024.

East Sussex County Council (24 013 940)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 22-Jun-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained that her child missed educational provision. There was a delay in holding an annual review and in sending the final Education, Health and Care Plan after that review. This delayed the Council being aware that a child was out of school. The Council was at fault as it did not check that provision was being put in place by a school after it had been told that a child was not attending school. A payment remedies the uncertainty caused to Mrs X, who will never know if other provision could have been put in place earlier if the monitoring had occurred.

East Sussex County Council (24 013 860)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-Jun-2025

Summary: Miss X complained that the Council had not provided the education set out in her child’s Education Health and Care Plan. She says this impacted her child’s education and emotional wellbeing. She says it also caused her distress and financial strain. The Ombudsman finds the Council at fault which caused injustice. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Miss X.

East Sussex County Council (24 014 321)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 01-Jul-2025

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to provide alternative provision while her daughter was unable to attend school. She also complained the Council failed to arrange transport when a place at a special school was agreed. We found the Council’s failure to provide alternative provision for approximately two and half terms is fault. This fault caused distress and frustration and meant Miss X’s daughter missed out on an education at a significant point in her school career. The Council will apologise and make payemnts to remedy this injustice.

East Sussex County Council (24 017 531)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 01-Jul-2025

Summary: Miss X complained the Council has failed to provide suitable alternative provision for her son, or the provision specified in Section F of his EHC Plan since September 2023 when his school place broke down. Miss X also complains about delays in the annual review process and in issuing a final EHC Plan. We found the delays in the annual review process were fault. As was the failure to provide appropriate alternative provision and to ensure y received the provision in his EHC Plan. This fault has led to missed education and caused Miss X distress and frustration. The Council will apologise and make payments to remedy this injustice.