Stockton on Tees Borough Council has apologised after an investigation revealed that nearly 100 children and young people with Education Health and Care (EHC) plans have not had their support updated properly by the council.
The issue came to light when a mother complained her teenager had missed out on a significant amount of support and school because their EHC plan had not been maintained properly.
An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that the mother and nearly 100 other children and young people had received letters incorrectly claiming annual reviews of their EHC plans had taken place.
Ms Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: ‘I am alarmed that the council would send such mendacious letters to nearly 100 families of vulnerable children saying review meetings have taken place when the council was aware they haven’t.
‘The council told me it issued the letters to comply with its statutory duties – but its duty is to carry out the yearly reviews, not to untruthfully say it has done so.’
Director of Children’s Services at Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Majella McCarthy, said the council was ‘sincerely sorry’, adding that the local authority ‘did not intend to mislead anyone’.
‘We fully understand how important these reviews are in ensuring young people’s needs are being met and that they are receiving the right support,’ she said.
‘We deeply regret in these cases this did not happen and apologise for any concern or upset caused by this. We are reviewing and improving our processes to ensure that this does not happen again, limiting the use of generic wording in letters.’
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