Family borrows money for special needs support

The parents of a child with special needs borrowed money to pay for his educational support after a council failed to do so for more than nine months, an ombudsman has found.

A report from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman found West Sussex County Council (WSCC) to be at fault and recommended it pay £1,000 to the family.

The boy's parents had been so worried their son would not be able to attend school without the funding in place that they had borrowed money from the father's employer to cover the cost, the report said.

A WSCC spokesperson said: "We accept the ombudsman's findings and have apologised to the family involved."

The report stated that, from April 2025, the council was responsible for paying for the one-to-one support the child would need at his school, as laid out in his education, health and care plan.

The school had informed the council the money had not been received and, without it, the support could not be provided, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The payment for the summer term was not made until February, by which time the child had missed out on occupational therapy and speech & language therapy, as well as the one-to-one support he needed.

The ombudsman noted the council had "provided no explanation for this excessive and frustrating delay".

As well as apologising to the family and making a "symbolic payment", the ombudsman recommended that the council "reminds complaint-handling staff of the need to consider and interrogate all the available and relevant evidence" before coming to a decision.

The WSCC spokesperson says: "A financial remedy has been provided in recognition of the impact and distress caused by the situation.

"We are committed to ensuring complaints are handled thoroughly, fairly and in line with expected standards."

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