Overview
The complainant (Mrs C) raised a number of concerns regarding the accessibility of further education for her son (Mr A), who is blind and has learning difficulties. She complained that South Lanarkshire Council (the Council) failed to take into account Mr A's specific needs when deciding on the educational package that they would fund. Mrs C considered that the Council unreasonably dismissed funding a residential placement at Henshaws College, a specialist college in England for blind students, in favour of a less suitable local option.
Specific complaint and conclusion
The complaint which has been investigated is that the Council acted unreasonably in their decision not to fund a place for Mr A at Henshaws College (not upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council:
- (i) apologise to Mr A for the delay to the introduction of his personal care package and the subsequent gap in his personal development;
- (ii) review their procedures to ensure that service users are provided with details of proposed care packages prior to being asked for their acceptance; and
- (iii) pay Mr A an appropriate sum that adequately reflects the hardship and injustice experienced by the family as a consequence of the considerable delay in putting in place a care package for him.
At the time of publication, the Council have accepted recommendations (i) and (ii) and will act upon them accordingly. They have not accepted recommendation (iii).
The council did subsequently agree to implement the third recommendation.