Essex County Council paid a woman £150 after the Ombudsman found it had failed to ensure there was a smooth transition in her autistic son's care when they moved to the area.

The council has apologised after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found it caused the woman distress and trouble due to a ‘failure to ensure a smooth transition’ of payment for her son's care.

The Ombudsman said this was a partial remedy for the injustice and the council also agreed to make a payment of £2,100 to cover a three-week gap during the move.

A social care assessment for her son, an autistic adult who has mental health problems, was not carried out by the council until July 2021, a month after he and his mother had moved to Essex, despite ‘plenty’ of notice having been given about the move.

The woman also complained about the charge for her son’s care, which she says he cannot afford.

However, the Ombudsman did not find fault for charging for his care, saying in the report that councils are allowed to charge for non-residential care.

The Ombudsman said it was satisfied funding was now in place for the care and there were no gaps in the direct payment.

A spokesperson for the council said in a statement: ‘We have acknowledged and accepted the findings of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the recommendations contained in the report.

‘We remain dedicated to ensuring all our residents receive the highest quality of care and are committed to learning to improve.’