Newcastle Council paid compensation after a tutor for a child with special needs acted inappropriately and dishonestly.
Newcastle City Council paid a mother £700 because she was unhappy with the arranged tuition and the council took too long on her son’s care plan. This plan is called an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), and the delay was almost a year.
The report details the mother’s complaint; she is referred to as Ms. M. She said the tutor was unreliable, gave gifts to the child, and shared personal information.
The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) agreed with Ms. M. The council apologized and ended the tutor’s work, paying £500 for distress caused and refunding £200 for purchased resources. The LGO said they offered a good solution.
The council took over 15 months on the EHCP, exceeding the maximum proper time of 20 weeks. They admitted they missed deadlines last year, when demand for these plans, which give support to kids with special needs, increased quickly.
The boy’s plan should have been done in August 2022 after the school asked for it that March, but it was finalized in July 2023. The council arranged home tuition in February 2023, and Ms. M complained in October of that year, saying the tutor didn’t plan lessons well.
The LGO doesn’t check teaching quality itself. The council admitted it had problems with hiring the tutor and supporting Ms. M.
The tutor’s role ended immediately, and they tried to find a new tutor then. A new plan started by early March 2024, five months after Ms. M’s concerns. The council mentioned high demand caused delays, citing Ms. M’s holidays and family illness, and worked to arrange a suitable program quickly.
Ms. M couldn’t claim free school meals because the EHCP lacked her son’s school name. The council agreed to compensate her for that issue.
A council representative stated EHCP requests are increasing widely. Assessments were significantly up in the last two years, which impacted their processing times much.
They apologized sincerely for the delay and recognize the impact it had. The council resolved the issue by apologizing and giving the family compensation, which the ombudsman thought fixed things well.
They ended the tutor’s involvement right away and quickly sought an alternative tutor then. They worked closely to arrange a good tuition program.
The council is committed to supporting children’s potential. They want everyone to have the best start, and families can access support during assessment wait times.