Errors made by two councils left a child with significant and complex needs living in an unsuitable home for ‘far too long’, an ombudsman has found.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found multiple failures in adaptations made to the home to meet the disabled child’s needs, which were funded by Bromsgrove District Council, Worcestershire County Council, and the NHS.
It said the work took longer than it should have and ‘significant’ alterations were still needed, with issues including a bedroom that was too small for access around the child’s hospital bed, insufficient space for equipment, and no wheelchair access to the garden.
The child had to spend six weeks in respite care away from their family while further changes were made.
The Ombudsman said the councils were too focussed on making changes that would fit within permitted development rights.
Bromsgrove agreed to pay the mother £2,000 and Worcestershire will pay £4,000, with both to also pay costs for occupational therapy, architect reports, and to acknowledge the impact on the child.
The councils said: ‘We have wholeheartedly apologised for our failure to ensure that the new home proposed for their family was properly adapted to meet their needs.
‘We recognise that there were missed opportunities to address the concerns more promptly, and we understand the negative impact this had on their family while the issues were being resolved.
‘We are committed to learning from this experience and will implement policy changes across both councils to improve communication between applicants and those involved in the housing adaptation process.’
