Calderdale Council to pay out £2,500 after failing to arrange suitable education for child

The Ombudsman for Local Government and Social Care has also instructed the council to apologise to the man and recognised the additional pressure he experienced because of the council’s failure to deliver a social care package for his child over a five-month period.

The man, referred to as Mr X in the ombudsman’s report, complained the council failed to arrange suitable education when his child, referred to as W, stopped attending school.

The ombudsman said W attended a specialist school for several years, with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place.

But at the start of their final year of primary school, W did not return to the school. Mr X said this was because it could not meet W’s needs at that point, physically and mentally.

Eventually, the council did find W a new school, which Mr X was happy with – according to the report – but there were issues with the EHCP.

The ombudsman found the council was at fault in some areas of the complaint which meant W missed out on the educational provision, social care support and play therapy they should have had.

Mr X had complained Calderdale failed to arrange suitable education when his child, W, stopped attending school – saying he had asked the council to arrange Education Otherwise Than At School and another school place for W, but it had not done so.

The ombudsman noted the council had agreed to arrange a tutor as alternative provision but did not do so and although it had agreed to issue a personal budget which would allow the commission of some education for W directly, it had delayed doing this.

Also, the council said it would arrange support from a play therapy service but it had not.

Mr X also complained the council failed to deliver a social care package it had agreed for W, meaning the child missed out and that he and his partner had to provide 2:1 support, which caused significant pressure on them and impacted W’s sibling, found the watchdog.