Hackney parents whose children have special educational needs and disabilities say they are shocked by the request seen in leaked emails
05:00, 24 Oct 2025Updated 13:08, 24 Oct 2025
Seven-year-old Erik Lampaski is non-verbal autistic and has no awareness of danger(Image: Niki Lampaski)
Parents who fear their children’s lives are at risk due to unsuitable housing say they’ve been left “speechless” by their local council reportedly asking NHS staff to stop writing letters supporting them.
Hackney Council officers appear to have discouraged occupational therapists (OTs) and other medical professionals from advocating for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to be moved into safer homes. A council spokesperson did not deny the claim, supported by emails seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), and said letters of support were simply “not needed” for its housing and vulnerability assessments.
The emails were leaked to journalist Kate Belgrave by “senior health professionals” who work with autistic and SEND children and young people. They are of a conversation between NHS staff reportedly relaying what a Hackney Council officer has told them.
Both Ms Belgrave and Hackney parents told the LDRS some of these letters concerned children who are at high risk of serious injury or death due to their current housing situations such as where children with no concept of danger live with balconies that can easily be vaulted.
The LDRS was also told many of the interventions from NHS professionals were made to support families during an appeal process because the council’s own medical team had determined there was insufficient risk to warrant moving them.
‘A daily struggle’
Amnah Al-Shammari with her son(Image: Amnah Al-Shammari )
Speaking to the LDRS, single mum-of-two Amnah Al-Shammari said she had been on the housing register for nine years as she waited to be moved to a safe home for her children. Amnah’s 13-year-old son, Jarah, is autistic and has global developmental delay (GDD) which means he has taken longer to develop compared to other children his age. Crucially, he has “no awareness of danger”, making leaving and entering the high-rise block where they live “a daily struggle”.
“He’s obsessed with the balcony over the communal area. He runs for it straight away in the morning and wants to jump off it,” Amnah said. “I have to be in front of him at all times. But he’s already taller than me and I worry he will soon be stronger.”
Amnah told the LDRS all of the property’s windows have to be shut at all times to prevent Jarah from climbing out, creating a “nightmare” during the summer heat. Despite an OT installing fixtures to keep the windows and doors closed, in the past Jarah been able to break the balcony door open. “Now he bangs his head against the glass until it bleeds because he wants to get out,” she said.
Her teenage daughter Miryam also has an autism diagnosis and is on the SEN register, and struggles with anxiety. The family-of-three currently share one bedroom in their two bed flat and use the “tiny” second bedroom to store clothes.
The communal balcony of the block where Amnah and her family live(Image: Amnah Al-Shammari)
The Al-Shammari family went on the social housing waitlist in 2016, but had to restart their bid in 2022 when the council brought in its new housing allocation policy. Amnah also claims the family had been pushed down the waiting list following a cyber attack on the council in October 2020. Hackney Council denies this happened to any resident.
“I’ve been waiting for nine years. I should already have a property. We’re in danger,” she said. Amnah claimed council officers were often rude towards parents like her and made her feel “nervous”.
According to Hackney Council, 20% of children and young people in the borough either have an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or receive SEN support, meaning demand for suitable housing and support is high.
‘Shifting blame to parents’
Seven-year-old Erik Lampaski lives in a one-bedroom private rental with his family. He is non-verbal autistic, and has sensory processing disorder, which can cause individuals to be overly sensitive to sights, sound and movements. His mum Niki told the LDRS he needs 1:1 support at all times as he also lacks awareness of danger, and must be monitored for his heart and liver functions.
Niki has been pleading with the local council to help them into suitable social housing, but alleges that medical teams who assess the situations of children like Erik have been known to “shift blame to the parents or downplay special needs”. She claims they have ignored multiple risk factors from Erik’s assessment – including increased susceptibility to seizures, heart issues and kidney problems.
“In one report the council’s teams said there was no evidence of Erik’s sensory needs at all,” Niki said. “In another example, I told them my son can put on a bit of clothing with prompting, but the council’s report says he can dress himself effectively independently.”
Erik’s mother Niki said the council’s medical teams had downplayed his special needs(Image: Niki Lampaski)
She added that she was “speechless” when she was told medical professionals had been asked to stop advocating for families like hers on the waiting list. “A lot of these letters say there is a fatal risk to the children.”
Hackney’s assessment policy states that the council accepts medical records and relevant reports from health professionals like GPs and OTs but asks residents not to provide letters of support from doctors, social workers or other advocates.
‘Finding the right home for everyone has become impossible’
A Hackney Council spokesperson said, when first asked by the LDRS about the claim healthcare workers were being told not to send supporting letters: “The assessments are reviewed and assessed by a qualified health professional who looks at a wide variety of reports and documents provided by professionals involved in an applicant’s care. Letters of support are not required for this assessment process, and as such, are not needed.”
The LDRS later put the parents’ claims in this article to the council. In response, Cllr Sade Etti, Cabinet Member for Homelessness Prevention, Rough Sleeping and Temporary Accommodation, said: “We recognise the challenges that many families in Hackney have accessing social housing, which can often be amplified when a family member has ongoing medical conditions.
Cabinet Member for Homelessness Prevention, Rough Sleeping and Temporary Accommodation, Cllr Sade Etti(Image: Hackney Labour)
“Sadly, the issue here is not that the medical needs of these families are ignored, but that finding the right home for everyone who needs it in Hackney has become impossible. Unfortunately there is a limited number of family-sized properties that become available each year, and even those with the highest medical priority can expect to wait over a decade for the right home.”
The council added that it did not recognise allegations that teams were unprofessional in their relationships with residents, and that it regularly checked that all its policies were applied consistently and fairly. The council encouraged anyone with specific concerns to get in touch directly so it can investigate further and respond.
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