Milton Keynes Council is to pay a woman £30,000 after an investigation revealed that it did not do enough to support a woman who was caring for a relative’s child.

The woman took over the part-time care of a young relative under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO), which was arranged with the council.

Caring duties were to be shared with the woman’s parents but they struggled to cope and the child moved in with the woman on a full-time basis.

However, there was not enough space in the woman’s two bedroomed property, which she shares with her adult son.

The local authority recommended a number of options, such as the adult son moving out to a YMCA property, and offered differing levels of financial support to make each option sustainable.

The council increased its offer to the family to £30,000 to be used as either a deposit for a house or to support the adult son to move to a larger property once it was under investigation.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman opened an investigation and found that the council was not clear with the family about the support it would offer prior to them taking on the SGO. It also found there was a 12-month delay in completing a needs assessment.

The Ombudsman also criticised the way the council failed to consider a detailed social work report, looking at the child’s welfare if the adult son moved out of the property.

The council has also not shown how it has calculated its financial offer to the family.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: ‘Because of the lack of support from the council, the woman says she has been left living in unsuitable conditions and been put under significant stress. The strain has also affected her relationship with her mother and stepfather.

‘I am pleased the council has now offered a significant amount to the family which we believe is fair and hope this will go some way to helping alleviate their accommodation issues.’