One family received £4,200 in total while another received £3,600.
One mum said the situation “caused considerable distress” and affected her child’s wellbeing and future prospects(Image: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire)
Wirral Council has had to pay nearly £8,000 to two families after two investigations found failings in support services. One family received £4,200 in total while another received £3,600.
The local authority had to pay the thousands of pounds to two families over failures in providing support for their children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND). Both families complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman over delays.
One mum, referred to as Dr X, complained about delays in the council issuing a education, health and care plan (EHCP) which would set out her child’s needs. The second mum, referred to as Mrs X, complained about the remedy offered by the council over its failure to provide support and secure her child’s school place.
In Wirral, around 5% of school age children have an EHCP and the borough has seen a massive increase in demand in recent years putting further pressure on council services and school budgets. Wirral Council last year decided to invest £2.8m more to double the size of its SEND caseworker team.
Despite ongoing issues in its special needs services, the local authority was told by the government its intention to improve had been recognised as being “reinvigorated and more ambitious.” Wirral Council leader Cllr Paula Basnett previously said: “We recognise there is much work to be done and we will stay focused on that until we are delivering consistently good outcomes for our younger residents.”
In Dr X’s case, the mum said the situation “caused considerable distress” and affected her child’s wellbeing and future prospects. Her child, referred to as Y, “stopped attending school due to a decline in his mental health.”
The family requested an EHCP assessment in August 2023 and the next month the council agreed to do so. However the final plan wasn’t issued until 15 months later in January 2025 and “was, in part, caused by a local and nationwide shortage of educational psychologists.”
Following a complaint, the council accepted the fault, adding staff absences had led to “a long period of inactivity,” and the local authority “failed to properly communicate” with the family.
The family were offered compensation of £800 due to delays, £1,800 due to missed term provision, and £1,000 “in recognition of the distress caused by poor communication and case handling.” This was accepted by the Ombudsman.
The second case involving Mrs X’s family revolved around the council’s failure to secure the provision set out in the EHCP for her child – referred to as Child Z – and failing to secure a suitable school place.
The Ombudsman said the mum told them: “There is still no confirmed school place for her child and the payment offered by the Council is not enough for the distress and uncertainty she has suffered or the harmful impact on her child’s education and welfare.”
Her child had a plan issued in March 2024 but the council did not secure the education provision set out within it. The Ombudsman said the council had “significant staffing challenges during this period” and highlighted steps it had taken to address issues.
Wirral Council has now found a suitable school for the child. It initially offered £1,000 for “avoidable distress” and “the council has accepted that structured reintegration support, group sessions, and specialist input overseen by a SENCO should have been provided to Z from March 2024.”
While Mrs X’s child was receiving some home education, the council also offered a further payment of £3,200 for missed school from March 2024 to the summer of 2025.
A Wirral Council spokesperson said: “Wirral Council accepts the Ombudsman’s findings in these cases and has apologised for the unacceptable delay and uncertainty caused.
“The Council has already acknowledged there is still some way to go to improve local SEND services, and both Ofsted and the DfE are aware of our work and remain supportive of our plans to make improvements for the benefit of our borough’s children.”