Mum awarded £1.4k after children miss key support
Getty ImagesA mother has been awarded £1,400 after a council took almost 10 months to provide both her children with "key support".
The children had special educational needs and were entitled to extra support with their emotions, as well as assistance with reading and writing.
Cambridgeshire County Council caused the mother "avoidable distress and frustration", said the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
A council spokesperson said it fully accepted the ombudsman's findings and had "since made several improvements to its services".
The mother, referred to as Ms X in the report, complained the council failed to issue amended Education Health and Care Plans (EHC) for her children following their annual reviews in July 2024, ahead of their move to a new school.
Their plans said they were entitled to emotional regulation support and access to assistive technologies for help with reading and writing, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
As a result, her children did not have an up-to-date legal record of their special educational needs for an entire school year and they did not receive all the support in their plans causing them "severe distress" and affecting their attainment, she told the ombudsman.
'Frustration and distress'
The report said their new school raised concerns about whether it could fully provide the support outlined in the report with the funding available during the review meeting in July 2024.
The council had 12 weeks to issue a final amended EHC plan, but they were not issued until April 2025.
Meanwhile, Ms X had been chasing the county council for updates.
The ombudsman ordered the council to pay her £1,100, to reflect the children missed out on some "key support", and £300 to reflect the "frustration and distress" caused to the family.
A council spokesperson said it was investing a further £780,000 to improve Send services and reduce delays and planned to recruit more Send staff.
"We accept the Ombudsman's findings fully and have complied with their recommended actions," they said.
The spokesperson added it currently supports more than 8,000 children and young people with EHC plans.
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