Teen with complex needs had no support - report

A teenager with complex needs was left without education support for more than two years, the local government ombudsman has found.

The 17-year-old boy, known only as Y, missed out on home-based support for his autism, dyslexia and social skills to which he was legally entitled - partly due to Camden Council's attempt to overturn a special educational needs and disabilities (Send) tribunal's decision.

The ombudsman ruled the council caused injustice to both the teenager and his mother - known as Miss X - who experienced "significant distress" during her struggle to get her son support.

The north London council said it apologised and was "committed to putting it right".

The council had disputed the package they were meant to provide, arguing the boy should be educated in school, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

For several months the case was left in limbo as the appeal process suspended the council's legal obligation to offer the support.

The appeal was thrown out in September 2023.

The watchdog noted that after this the council went to great lengths to accommodate the boy's needs, but still found the authority at fault for failing to deliver its statutory duty completely.

It also found Camden forced the boy's mother to wait "much longer than necessary" for the council to resolve the issues.

The council was ordered to pay the family £13,860 to cover the years of lost special educational provision and for "time and trouble caused by the delays with complaint handling".

The council also reimbursed the mother £24,180 for private tutoring costs she incurred between October 2022 and October 2023.

A Camden Council spokesperson said they apologise to the family and were "strengthening the processes to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future".

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