A South London council has been instructed to compensate a family almost £2,000 after significant failures led to a child with special educational needs missing out on crucial support.
Ombudsman Investigation Finds Council at Fault
An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) found Lambeth Council at fault for delays that resulted in a boy missing a full year of speech and language therapy (SALT) and several weeks of tutoring. The council has accepted the findings and paid the family £1,950 in compensation.
The payment breaks down as £1,000 for the missed tuition, £750 for the missed therapy, and £200 for the distress caused by the delay in completing an annual review of the boy's Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Timeline of Failures and Missed Provision
The LGSCO report details a series of administrative failures. The council should have carried out an annual review of the child's EHCP in late October 2024 but did not start the process until early December 2024.
Furthermore, the council was required to issue the finalised EHCP within 12 weeks of that review. However, it failed to do so until June 2025, a delay the Ombudsman ruled as a clear fault.
The boy's EHCP detailed that the majority of his educational provision should be delivered at school, but also suggested speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. The council argued the SALT mention was merely an example, but the LGSCO upheld that the authority had a duty to provide the provision set out in Section F of the plan.
Further Distress from Tutoring Gaps
When the boy was unable to attend school, the council arranged tutoring. In April 2024, it agreed to increase his hours from 15 to 30 per week. However, this increased provision was not put in place until June 2024, leaving the child without any support for several weeks in between.
The council admitted this was another fault, which caused further distress and meant the boy missed out on more vital education. A Learning Support Assistant was eventually instructed in December 2024 and started in February 2025.
A spokesperson for Lambeth Council said: "Lambeth is committed to providing the best service possible for all our residents – and, whenever problems arise, we work hard to resolve these quickly and fairly. We are determined to learn from this case and improve the service we provide."
The council added it has reminded staff to ensure timely annual reviews for all young people not in an education setting to prevent such issues recurring.
