Council pay-out over boy's needs
A Cornish council has been ordered to pay a mother £1,500 in compensation after it failed to meet her son's special educational needs.
A local government ombudsman found Cornwall County Council had not provided for the child despite being told to step up care one year before.
The council was ordered to ensure care was implemented for the boy, who has not been named for legal reasons.
The council said the findings had been reported to its standards board.
The boy's mother, who also cannot be named, complained to the ombudsman saying the council had not made the necessary arrangements for her son's education despite a previous complaint being upheld.
She first complained to the council in mid-2005 about failure to provide support at a primary school, after which the school promised to monitor his case.
But she decided to withdraw him from the school in November 2005 because care did not improve.
Three months later the council accepted a duty to provide home tuition but did not make speech and language therapy available until a year later.
After an appeal the council agreed the boy needed to be placed in a special educational needs unit, which it has yet to set up.
In a report on Thursday, the ombudsman found there was maladministration causing injustice by the council.
A spokesman said: "It is particularly disappointing that these problems have recurred."
It recommended provision and individual educational plans be implemented.
It also said the boy should be given an up-to-date laptop and support from an educational psychologist.
Compensation was awarded to the mother for her trouble and frustration in trying to have the needs met.
A council spokeswoman said it could not comment further.
Source: The BBC (26/07/2007)
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