The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has apologised after failing to properly identify the abuse suffered by a homeless man.
The council did not recognise the abuse the man said he suffered because it did not consider the alleged perpetrator a ‘relative’, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
The man complained to the Ombudsman after the council left him sleeping rough when he fled the home he shared with his sibling and their spouse.
The local authority wrongly did not offer the man interim accommodation as he said he was staying with a friend.
It took the council 11 weeks to tell the man it had accepted it had a duty to help prevent his homelessness with a Personalised Housing Plan (PHP).
Ms Amerdeep Somal, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: ‘The council’s delays in confirming what duty it owed the man, coupled with not recognising the alleged abuse he suffered, can only have caused him uncertainty and distress at a time of crisis.’
A Kensington and Chelsea spokesperson said: ‘We take the support of victims of domestic abuse very seriously and apologise fully for falling short of the standards our residents should expect in this case. We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and are implementing the recommendations made.’
