Ealing Council has paid a mother of three disabled children £500 for causing her "emotional distress" through its handling of her complaints, after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) became involved. The payment was made only after the woman, referred to as Miss X in the report, escalated her case to the Ombudsman, despite the council having previously agreed to the sum.
Miss X had requested support to take a break from caring for her three children, who have complex needs. The respite care initially offered by the council was deemed inadequate by the mother, a view later upheld by an independent panel and the LGSCO. The council's child and family assessment was found to be inadequate, with the panel noting that a social worker should have visited the children at home to properly assess the level of respite care required.
Ombudsman criticises council's assessment and website misinformation
The Ombudsman's report stated that the failure to visit the children at home "may have contributed to the council's failure to understand the overall impact of Miss X caring for all three children, who have a high level of care needs." Given the high needs of the children, the panel did not consider the respite support offered to be reasonable.
Additionally, Ealing Council's website contained incorrect information that misled Miss X into believing overnight respite was a viable option for all her children. The website stated the minimum age was eight, but in reality, children needed to be at least 11 to be eligible.
Council apologises and implements recommendations
Miss X faced months of battling the council, with her complaints going through three stages before an independent panel upheld them eight months after her initial complaint. While the council had agreed to pay £500 as a remedy, it took her complaining to the LGSCO before the money was actually paid.
Shortly after the panel shared its findings, the council wrote to Miss X agreeing with the findings and made several recommendations. These included amending the council's website, reminding social workers that it is best practice to visit a child in their own home, and completing a new assessment for respite support.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said: "We apologise for the frustration caused by our failure to make the payment previously agreed with the resident. We accept the Ombudsman's findings and have taken the actions recommended, including apologising directly to the resident and made the £500 payment." The spokesperson added: "We have provided the Ombudsman with evidence that we have complied with its recommendations."
