Compensation for youngster left without education

The young man will be given £8,700 compensation by Surrey County Council

A young man who has been left without formal education since at least 2021 will be given £8,700 compensation by Surrey County Council (SCC) due to the distress caused.

The young man, named Mr M in a Local Government and Social Ombudsman report, had complained his Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment did not ask for the full range of professionals needed to complete the evaluation.

In a report, the ombudsman recommended SCC should carry out a “detailed review” of failing to keep records and delaying EHC reviews.

The council said it was unable to comment on individual families and related ombudsman outcomes, however, the local authority said it had satisfied the ombudsman’s recommendations in this case.

Mr M had an EHC Plan since December 202, but he was told by council officers that home tuition was an interim measure whilst he was too unwell to attend formal education.

It was intended to review the academic package by the 2022 summer term but this was delayed.

Offered a home learning tutorial service in March 2022, Mr M was reportedly unable to engage with any educational service until some mental health support was provided.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, SCC failed in its statutory duty to formally review Mr M’s EHC plan within a year, as a decision on the plan was not issued until August 2023, creating a delay of around eight months.

As this was only meant to be an interim EHC plan, the total delay was 13 months.

Clare Curran, SCC cabinet member for children, families and lifelong learning, said: “Improvements with the timeliness of updating EHCPs annually has been a priority for the council."

Ms Curran added the council had been "working hard" to clear a backlog of overdue plans and annual reviews alongside managing new applications.

"We are also working closely with partners to ensure any support agreed in these plans is provided as quickly as possible," she said.