£23,000 paid to SEND children failed by council

Wirral council was criticised for delays and poor communication with the families

Two families whose children missed out on school places have been paid £23,000 by the council that failed them.

Wirral Council was criticised over delays and poor communication with the families, who have children with special education needs.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) ordered the council to pay one family £7,800 and the other £15,190.

The council said Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision had been particularly challenging.

'Lack of action'

For the family paid £15,190, the council had failed to issue a final Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC plan) over several years, causing “significant uncertainty, distress, and frustration for the family.”

The issues first arose after the council failed to issue a decision letter and final EHC plan in March 2021.

The investigation also found between January and September 2022, there was “a lack of action" and "contact and administrative errors" by the council.

There were other delays and a final plan was issued in January 2024, nearly three years later.

When asked how it would prevent similar situations happening again, Wirral Council said it had received an additional £600,000 to recruit more staff in its SEND team.

'Distress and isolation'

For the family paid £7,800, Wirral Council was found at fault for not getting school provision sorted and failing to complete an annual review as part of an EHC plan.

This case involved a child who had been out of school since March 2023 because the school he had been at could not fulfil his needs.

His grandmother said this had been causing him “avoidable distress and isolation".

The LGO ordered the council to apologise, complete the annual review, and meet the family to allow the child to start school.

“We accept the findings in both cases and are apologising to the two families concerned, and paying the compensation as indicated by the Ombudsman," Wirral Council said.

"Like many local authorities, SEND provision has been a particularly challenging area for the council in recent years and considerable effort has been, and continues to be, invested in efforts to deliver high quality provision for children and young people who need it."