West Sussex boy denied support because he had ‘wrong’ type of disability

A report from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said the boy, who has foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, was prone to volatile outbursts due to his condition.

He was excluded from school in February 2020, and although he was provided with home tuition, he has been out of full-time education since.

When his adoptive parents asked the council to assess him for respite care and financial help, they were told he wasn’t eligible as he did not have a severe learning disability or autism alongside a moderate learning disability.

Lucy Butler, the council’s executive director of children, young people’s and learning services, said: “I am truly very sorry for the standard of service we provided to the young boy and his family, which was not the level of care and support we should have provided.

“We accept we should have undertaken an assessment on this occasion.”

Following a complaint from the family, the ombudsman launched an investigation.

While this was being conducted, the council started to provide six hours of respite care per week and gave the parents £1,188 to reimburse them for the care they had already paid for.

The boy is due to start at a specialist school in September.

The investigation found there had been a delay in finding a suitable school, meaning he was without full-time education for 13 months.

The council was found to be at fault for not assessing his needs promptly.