Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 005 959)

Statement Upheld Charging 01-Apr-2025

Summary: Ms X complained the Council was at fault when it wrongly charged for social care provision for her adult son, Mr Y and did not help her with the associated disability-related expenditure (DRE) payments. Ms X also complained the Council sent her invoices when she was not Mr Y’s appointee. The Council was not at fault when it charged Mr Y for his social care provision and was not at fault for the help provided with Mr Y’s DRE payments. The Council was at fault for sending Ms X, Mr Y’s invoices when she was not Mr Y’s appointee. This caused Ms X frustration and the Council will apologise.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 017 927)

Statement Upheld Other 07-Apr-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council’s decision to limit Mr X’s participation in the co-production board. The Council has since met with and written to Mr X to resolve his ongoing concerns.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 003 351)

Statement Upheld Other 15-Apr-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to properly assess her child D’s eligibility for overnight respite care through its disabled children’s service. The Council made its decision properly that D should receive daytime short breaks but not overnight respite. However, it was at fault because it delayed its assessments and failed to consider Mrs X’s complaint via the statutory complaints procedure for children’s social care services. This caused a delay in D receiving daytime short breaks, and avoidable time and trouble for Mrs X. The Council agreed to apologise and pay a financial remedy. It will also issue reminders to its staff and review its processes.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 013 321)

Statement Upheld School transport 19-Jun-2025

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council has said it will provide her with a transport budget that does not cover the cost of transporting her child, Y, to his placement named in his Education, Health and Care Plan for the whole academic year. Mrs X says she is struggling to meet the travel costs and it has resulted in a lot of stress and worry. I have found fault with the Council’s transport policy, found evidence the Council did not apply the correct test as set out in law when considering Y’s application for transport, failed to provide Mrs X with a personal travel budget as promised and failed to meet statutory timescales when finalising Y’s EHC Plan following an annual review. The fault has resulted in ongoing financial hardship, ongoing delayed appeal rights and uncertainty about what decision the Appeal Panel would have made if it had been guided by an appropriate policy, suitable training and had it considered Y’s circumstances properly. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice caused to the family and make the recommended service improvements.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (25 000 104)

Statement Upheld Other 07-Jul-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about adult social care. The complainant lives next door to a supported living property and has experienced damage to property, and assault. There are other bodies better placed to consider these concerns as they are for the police and insurance companies. There is no worthwhile outcome achievable from an Ombudsman investigation, and we are satisfied with how the Council responded to the complaint.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 019 512)

Statement Upheld Direct payments 28-Jul-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the Council changed the expenses it allowed under direct payments and its communication with him about this was poor. We upheld the complaint because communication was not in line with our expected standards. The Council will apologise, make a symbolic payment and issue Mr X with a comprehensive statement about the expenses the Council allows for Mr Y’s direct payment based on his current care and support plan.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 010 454)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 28-Jul-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s provision of education, and handling of the education, health and care process for her two children which caused missed education and significant distress. We find the Council at fault for its failure to provide suitable alternative education, meet statutory deadlines, and for poor communication and complaint handling, which caused injustice. We find the Council has already offered a suitable remedy for the injustice. We have decided to end our investigation into other areas of the complaint because they are late or have been appealed to the Tribunal.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 014 867)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 29-Jul-2025

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s assessments of his daughter’s care needs, its delays, and not properly considering her needs for additional support. We found the Council at fault for the time taken to complete the assessments and its contact with Mr X about proposed changes to a care plan. This caused significant frustration, uncertainty and distress. The Council has agreed to apologise and pay a symbolic payment to recognise the injustice caused.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (22 013 855)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-Jul-2025

Summary: Mr and Mrs B complained the Council failed to ensure their son received the provision in his education, health and care plan, failed to put in place education when their son stopped attending school and delayed responding to their complaint. There is evidence Mr and Mrs B’s son did not receive all the one-to-one provision in his education, health and care plan, the Council failed to act appropriately when Mr and Mrs B’s son stopped attending school and the Council delayed responding to the complaint. That means Mr and Mrs B’s son missed out on education and special educational needs provision. An apology, payment to Mr and Mrs B and reminder to officers is satisfactory remedy.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 008 370)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 28-Aug-2025

Summary: The Council accepted that it had delayed in issuing the complainant’s son’s Education, Health and Care Plan. We too find fault, resulting in avoidable distress and a loss of suitable education for Miss X’s son. The Council had already offered to make a symbolic payment for the lost education and avoidable distress and time and trouble for the complainant. We consider this is a suitable remedy. We are therefore closing the complaint.