Children's health staff shortages
Significant workforce shortages across multiple disciplines in children's health, impacting care delivery and patient safety.
215 items
6 sources
2 inquiries
Source spread
Where this theme appears
Children's health staff shortages has been flagged across 6 independent accountability sources:
33 inquiry recs
11 PFD reports
41 committee recs
8 IMB recs
19 PHSO decisions
103 LGO/SPSO decisions
When the same issue appears across inquiries, coroner reports, and regulators independently, it indicates a recurring issue across the public record.
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry Recommendations (33)
BRIS-167 — Appoint National Director for Children's Healthcare Services to promote improvements
Recommendation: A National Director for Children’s Healthcare Services should be appointed to promote improvements in healthcare services provided for children.
Unknown
IHRD-85 — Deputy CMO for Children's Healthcare
Recommendation: The Department should appoint a Deputy Chief Medical Officer with specific responsibility for children's healthcare.
Gov response: Role considerations ongoing within Department of Health NI restructuring.
Accepted
No update 2+ yrs
IHRD-71 — Children's Healthcare Governance
Recommendation: All Trust Boards should ensure that appropriate governance mechanisms are in place to assure the quality and safety of the healthcare services provided for children and young people.
Gov response: Governance mechanisms for children's healthcare services established across Trusts.
Accepted
IHRD-69 — Executive Director Responsibilities
Recommendation: Trusts should appoint and train Executive Directors with specific responsibility for: (i) Issues of Candour. (ii) Child Healthcare. (iii) Learning from SAI related patient deaths.
Gov response: Executive Director responsibilities assigned for candour, child healthcare and SAI learning.
Accepted
IHRD-61 — Paediatric Communication Training
Recommendation: Clinicians caring for children should be trained in effective communication with both parents and children.
Gov response: Communication skills training provided for clinicians caring for children.
Accepted
IHRD-58 — Paediatric Fluid Management Training
Recommendation: HSC Trusts should ensure that all nurses caring for children have facilitated access to e-learning on paediatric fluid management and hyponatraemia.
Gov response: E-learning on paediatric fluid management and hyponatraemia made available to nursing staff.
Accepted
BRIS-198 — Urgently investigate paediatric cardiac surgery units for unsafe low patient volumes
Recommendation: An investigation should be conducted as a matter of urgency to ensure that PCS is not currently being carried out where the low volume of patients or other factors make it unsafe to perform such surgery.
Unknown
BRIS-197 — Centralise rare paediatric heart condition surgery to maximum two expert-validated units
Recommendation: Surgical services for children with very rare congenital heart conditions, such as Truncus Arteriosus, or involving procedures undertaken very rarely, should only be performed in a maximum of two units, validated as such on the advice of experts. Such arrangements …
Unknown
BRIS-196 — Mandate paediatric environment, trained staff, and PICU access for children's interventional procedures
Recommendation: The national standards should stipulate that children with CHD who undergo any form of interventional procedure must be cared for in a paediatric environment. This means that all healthcare professionals who care for these children must be trained and qualified …
Unknown
BRIS-195 — Require two paediatric surgeons performing 40-50 open-heart operations annually for infants
Recommendation: With regard to the very particular circumstances of open-heart surgery on very young children (including neo-nates and infants), we stipulate that the following standard should apply unless, within six months of the publication of this Report, this standard is varied …
Unknown
BRIS-194 — Establish minimum weekly operating sessions for paediatric cardiac surgeons to maintain competence
Recommendation: With regard to those surgeons who undertake paediatric cardiac surgery, although not stipulating the number of operating sessions sufficient to maintain competence, it may be that four sessions a week should be the minimum number required. Agreement on this should …
Unknown
BRIS-193 — Stipulate minimum paediatric cardiac surgery procedure volumes for hospitals to ensure outcomes
Recommendation: With regard to paediatric cardiac surgery, the standards should stipulate the minimum number of procedures which must be performed in a hospital over a given period of time in order to have the best opportunity of achieving good outcomes for …
Unknown
BRIS-192 — Develop national standards for all aspects of congenital heart disease care and treatment
Recommendation: National standards should be developed, as a matter of priority, for all aspects of the care and treatment of children with congenital heart disease (CHD). The standards should address diagnosis, surgical and other treatments, and continuing care. They should include …
Unknown
BRIS-186 — Require all surgeons operating on children to obtain paediatric qualification and revalidation
Recommendation: All surgeons who operate on children, including those who also operate on adults, must undergo training in the care of children and obtain a recognised professional qualification in the care of children. As matter of priority, the GMC, the body …
Unknown
BRIS-185 — Review and apply 1991 paediatric nurse staffing standards as minimum
Recommendation: The 1991 standards for the numbers of paediatrically qualified nurses required at any given time should serve as the minimum standard and should apply where children are treated (save in emergencies). The standards should be reviewed as a matter of …
Unknown
BRIS-184 — Ensure children are cared for in paediatric environments by qualified professionals
Recommendation: Children should always (save in exceptional circumstances, such as emergencies) be cared for in a paediatric environment, and always by healthcare professionals who hold a recognised qualification in caring for children. This is especially so in relation to paediatric intensive …
Unknown
BRIS-183 — Validate trusts providing children's acute services for child-centred policies, staff, and facilities
Recommendation: After completion of a pilot exercise, all trusts which provide acute hospital services for children should be subject to a process of validation to ensure that they have appropriate child- and family-centred policies, staff, and facilities to provide a good …
Unknown
BRIS-182 — Establish flexible Family Support Funds for travel costs at concentrated specialist children's trusts
Recommendation: Where specialist services for children are concentrated in a small number of trusts spread throughout England, these trusts should establish Family Support Funds to help families to meet the costs arising from travelling and staying away from home. The Funds …
Unknown
BRIS-181 — Organise children's specialist services for best staff, facilities, and outcomes, prioritising quality
Recommendation: Specialist services for children should be organised so as to provide the best available staff and facilities, thus providing the best possible opportunity for good outcomes. Advice should be sought from experts on the appropriate number of patients to be …
Unknown
BRIS-180 — Pilot children's hospitals running all acute and community services in a geographical area
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to piloting the introduction of a system whereby children’s hospitals take over the running of the children’s acute and community services throughout a geographical area, building on the example of the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital in the …
Unknown
BRIS-179 — Ensure free-standing children's hospitals provide access to all necessary facilities and specialists
Recommendation: In the case of existing free-standing children’s hospitals, particular attention must be given to ensuring that, through good management and organisation of care, children have access when needed to (a) facilities which may not routinely be found in a children’s …
Unknown
BRIS-178 — Locate children's acute hospital services in children's hospitals near general hospitals
Recommendation: Children’s acute hospital services should ideally be located in a children’s hospital, which should be physically as close as possible to an acute general hospital. This should be the preferred model for the future.
Unknown
BRIS-177 — NSF must provide strategic guidance for integrating children's healthcare services
Recommendation: There must be much greater integration of primary, community, acute and specialist healthcare for children. The NSF should include strategic guidance to health authorities and trusts so that services in the future are better integrated and organised around the needs …
Unknown
BRIS-176 — NSF must plan regular publication of children's healthcare quality and performance data
Recommendation: The NSF must include plans for the regular publication of information about the quality and performance of children’s healthcare services at national level, at the level of individual trusts, and of individual consultant units.
Unknown
BRIS-175 — NSF must include incentives for improving children's healthcare services, aiding needy trusts
Recommendation: The NSF should include incentives for the improvement of children’s healthcare services, with particular help being given to those trusts most in need.
Unknown
BRIS-174 — NSF must set obligatory and aspirational standards for children's services
Recommendation: The NSF should set obligatory standards which must be observed, as well as standards to which children’s services should aspire over time.
Unknown
BRIS-173 — NSF must establish standards for all children's acute healthcare services
Recommendation: The NSF should include a programme for the establishment of standards in all areas of children’s acute hospital and healthcare services.
Unknown
BRIS-172 — Urgently agree and implement National Service Framework for children's healthcare
Recommendation: The proposed National Service Framework (NSF) for children’s healthcare services must be agreed and implemented as a matter of urgency.
Unknown
BRIS-171 — Designate executive board member to protect children's interests in trusts
Recommendation: All trusts which provide services for children as well as adults, should have a designated executive member of the board whose responsibility it is to ensure that the interests of children are protected and that they are cared for in …
Unknown
BRIS-170 — Designate senior staff in health authorities for local children's healthcare commissioning
Recommendation: Each health authority and each primary care group or primary care trust should designate a senior member of staff who should have responsibility for commissioning children’s healthcare services locally.
Unknown
BRIS-169 — Expand Cabinet Committee remit to include healthcare for children and young people
Recommendation: The Cabinet Committee on Children and Young People’s Services should specifically include in its remit matters to do with healthcare and health services for children and young people.
Unknown
BRIS-168 — Consider creating a Children's Commissioner for England to promote children's rights
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to the creation of an office of Children’s Commissioner in England, with the role of promoting the rights of children in all areas of public policy and seeking improvements to the ways in which the needs …
Unknown
BRIS-139 — Include children's acute and paediatric cardiac services in discrete validation pilot
Recommendation: The pilot exercise for this form of validation should include children’s acute hospital services and paediatric cardiac surgery.
Unknown
PFD Reports (11)
Jackson Chadd
Concerns: Concerns include inadequate supervision for junior paediatric staff, insufficient consultant oversight for out-of-hours admissions, failure to apply national guidelines for fever in children, and disregarding parental concerns.
Response (Frimley Park Hospital): The Hospital updated sepsis guidelines to include tachycardia, changed practices to fast track children with PEWS scores of less than 4 to the Paediatric Assessment Unit, and now requires blood …
Response (Royal College of Paediatrics Child Health): The RCPCH refers to existing guidance, standards and reports regarding supervision and training and notes their current review of standards to encourage higher levels of consultant supervision.
Overdue
Helena Farrell
Concerns: The report identifies an inadequate referral system and staffing levels at CAMHS, a failure to recognise the escalation of incidents, unrealistic expectations of the school nurse, and a lack of verification of the school counsellor's qualifications.
Response (Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust): Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has significantly redesigned the CAMHS referral system, with a 48-hour response target for urgent referrals. The recommendations from the Serious Untoward Incident report have been …
Response (Cumbria County Council): Cumbria County Council will remind schools of their duty to ensure counselors are appropriately qualified by the end of September and will undertake a sample audit later in the school …
Responded
Emma Carpenter
Concerns: Critical specialist eating disorder services for children lacked long-term funding and inpatient bed provision. Insufficient funding for school nurses caused poor communication between mental health and education systems.
Response (Department of Health): The Department of Health provided NHS England with £7 million in 2014/15 to increase CAMHS Tier 4 bed provision and improve access. Health Education England plans to commission 340 training …
Response (NHS England): NHS England has invested in inpatient CAMHS beds, developed national service specifications for acute inpatient mental health units, and is planning to commission inpatient beds based on need. They highlight …
Response (Doncaster and Bassettlaw Hospitals NHS Trust): The Trust has communicated with Nottinghamshire Health Care Foundation Trust, offering a formal service level agreement and a named consultant to support patients from the Bassetlaw area receiving treatment at …
Responded
Robyn Skilton
Concerns: Significant underfunding and under-resourcing of CAMHS caused extensive waiting times for child psychiatrist assessments, preventing timely diagnosis and treatment. Exploding referral rates without proportionate resource increases have made the service unsustainable, endangering young people.
Response (department of Health and Social Care): The response acknowledges concerns about access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in West Sussex. It outlines national initiatives to increase funding for and access to mental health …
Responded
Alex Dews
Concerns: School avoided NHS mental health referrals due to excessive waiting lists, instead procuring private support with unclear allocation processes and poor communication between the school and external providers.
Response (Outwood Grange Academies Trust): Outwood Grange Academies Trust details the mental health and wellbeing services involved with the academy, referral processes, and discharge procedures. They note that further guidance from the DfE on support …
Response (Department for Education): The DfE is working with the Minister for Women and Equalities to develop guidance to support schools and colleges in relation to children who are questioning their gender, with a …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care outlines NHS England's plans to increase access to community mental health services for children and young people, and to implement new access and …
Responded
Madeleine Savory
Concerns: There is a national shortage of Tier 4 beds in paediatric mental health facilities, delaying timely access to crucial care for children in need.
Response (NHS England): NHS England is implementing improvements to the CYMPH inpatient pathway, aiming to reduce out-of-area placements and move towards community-based care; they are also developing a national admission protocol for children …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges the concerns and notes NHS England's response and approach to reduce reliance on inpatient mental health beds, moving towards community-based care.
Responded
Sailor Court
Concerns: Unacceptably long and increasing waiting times for CAMHS assessment and treatment, due to a severe lack of resources, pose a significant risk to young people's mental health.
Response (NHS England): NHS England highlights increased access to CYPMH services, with 758,000 children and young people receiving support in the 12 months to January 2024. They cite a 46% increase in the …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The DHSC acknowledges concerns about long waiting times for assessment and treatment in children and young people’s mental health services, and the importance of early intervention and support. They highlight …
Responded
Aarav Chopra
Concerns: Lack of guidance for immunocompromised patient antibiotics, unclear trainee competence, and poor consent processes were evident. Inadequate learning from deaths and fragmented electronic records also led to missed patient risk factors.
Response (Birmingham Womens and Childrens NHS Foundation Trust): Birmingham Womens and Childrens NHS Foundation Trust is reviewing the Trust’s Liver Biopsy Guidance with Microbiology colleagues regarding prophylactic antibiotics and creating an MDT of staff involved in procedures. They …
Response (Department of Health and Social Care): The DHSC acknowledges the concerns raised in the report and explains the roles of NICE, NHS England and CQC in addressing them, noting that the hospital trust will respond separately …
Responded
Benjamin Arnold
Concerns: Maternity services are unequally split with limited support and no on-site paediatric cover at one site. Concerns also include ambiguous unit classification and non-standardised guidelines for the LISA procedure and newborn cardiac arrest causes.
Response (Resus Council UK): Resuscitation Council UK provides context on its neonatal resuscitation courses (NLS, OH-NLS, ARNI) and states that the NLS approach and algorithm adequately address the potential causes of non-response during newborn …
Response (Yorkshire Humber Neonatal): The Y&H Neonatal ODN has regional guidelines on surfactant administration and provides education sessions, and has written to all neonatal units in their network and other Neonatal ODNs to share …
Response (British Association of Perinatal Medicine): BAPM acknowledges concerns about LISA procedures and reversible causes of cardiac arrest, and while stating that universal consultant approval for LISA is not necessary, they plan to send a safety …
Response (Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust): The Trust updated its risk register to include risks related to service provision, staffing, and protocols, and are working with the ODN and Commissioners. They also detail actions taken in …
Response (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health): RCPCH acknowledges concerns regarding LISA guidelines and reversible causes of cardiac arrest but defers to BAPM and RCUK for specific guidance and actions, noting they expect members to follow Resuscitation …
Response (Department for Health and Social Care): The Department acknowledges the concerns regarding maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, particularly staffing levels and the delay in centralizing services due to the New Hospital Programme's revised …
Response (Resus Council UK): This is an exhibit referenced by another response. It is a LISA checklist.
Responded
Imogen Nunn Prevention of future deaths report
Concerns: A national shortage and lack of regulation for British Sign Language interpreters, alongside procurement issues and few BSL-proficient clinicians, create significant risks for deaf mental health patients.
Response (Department for Education): The Minister for Women and Equalities will raise concerns regarding procurement practices and the status of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters with the BSL Advisory Board, asking them to work …
Overdue
Ellame Ford-Dunn Prevention of future deaths report
Concerns: Insufficient Tier 4 Paediatric Mental Health beds lead to long waits, resulting in children with mental health needs being inappropriately held on acute paediatric wards unsuitable for their care.
Response (NHS England): NHS England has provided £180,000 to University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust to support the recruitment of additional mental health nurses. A new tri-funded short-term residential alternative to hospital admission …
Responded
Committee Recommendations (41)
#14 —
Recommendation: In addition, it is paramount that a plan is implemented to increase the size and wellbeing of the children and young people’s mental health workforce based on independently verified estimates of the number of people needed in different disciplines and …
Gov response: 100. Please refer to the response to recommendation 3.
Under Consideration
#13 —
Recommendation: One of the largest barriers to increasing access to mental health provision for children and young people remains the size of the mental health workforce. We have seen that children and young people’s mental health practitioners face staff shortages, increasing …
Gov response: 94. We accept this recommendation in part. 95. The department and the Department for Education are committed to supporting schools to adopt and deliver an integrated, whole-school approach to mental wellbeing, which is tailored to …
Partially Accepted
#4 — Require DHSC to detail ICB SEN prioritisation, workforce plans, and targets for reducing waiting lists.
Recommendation: Accessing health expertise presents a significant barrier to identifying and supporting SEN needs. DHSC plays a critical role in the SEN system. It jointly published with DfE the Code of Practice and 2023 improvement plan and is responsible for overseeing …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. duties as set out in relevant legislation, including the Children and Families Act 2014. Each ICB must have a board-level executive lead for children and young people with …
Accepted
#67 — Develop joint SEND workforce plan to address shortages and re-deploy professionals therapeutically
Recommendation: The DfE and DHSC should urgently develop a joint SEND workforce plan to address shortages and build capacity across education, health, and care services. This should include explicit measures to deliver a shift in the deployment of educational psychologists, speech …
Gov response: The Department is working closely with DHSC and NHS England to improve access to community health services, such as speech and language therapy, for children and young people with SEND. As set out in the …
Partially Accepted
#66 — Shortages of educational psychologists and allied health professionals undermine quality of SEND support
Recommendation: Shortages of educational psychologists and allied health professionals, including speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists are significantly undermining the availability and quality of SEND support. These workforce gaps delay assessments, restrict access to essential interventions, and place additional …
Gov response: The Department is working closely with DHSC and NHS England to improve access to community health services, such as speech and language therapy, for children and young people with SEND. As set out in the …
Accepted
#15 — Set plans to support non-NHS children's health professionals and review multidisciplinary team guidance.
Recommendation: Many professions which play a key role in delivering children’s health care are not entirely or primarily employed by the NHS. We recommend the Government sets out how it plans to support those professions in non- NHS settings, particularly allied …
Response Pending
#14 — Create sustainable children's health workforce with specific recruitment targets in the NHS Plan.
Recommendation: The Government must take the opportunity presented by the forthcoming NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a sustainable and well-resourced children’s health workforce. While we understand the Government’s desire for the workforce plan to go beyond numbers, a plan …
Response Pending
#13 — Significant shortages across children's health workforce are impacting care delivery and patient safety.
Recommendation: Throughout this inquiry we heard that the children’s health workforce is being stretched to breaking point. There are significant shortages across multiple disciplines which prevent professionals from delivering the care young children and their families need and that, in some …
Response Pending
#9 — Create plan to rebuild health visitor workforce and recruit at least 1000 additional staff.
Recommendation: The Government must create a specific plan to rebuild the health visitor workforce in its forthcoming NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. This plan must be informed by safe staffing tools to ensure that health visitors have a manageable workload. As …
Response Pending
#8 — Decimated health visitor workforce threatens government ambition for children's early life outcomes.
Recommendation: The Government will fail to deliver on its ambition to give every child the best start in life unless it takes urgent action to rebuild the health visitor workforce, which has been decimated over the last 10 years. (Conclusion, Paragraph …
Response Pending
#17 —
Recommendation: In 2021, a NHS survey showed nearly 1 in 5 of 6- to 16-year-olds in England had a probable mental health disorder. The survey also found that almost 40% had experienced a deterioration in mental health since 2017 and 13.5% …
Gov response: 5: PAC conclusion: We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental health issues and about the proportion of adolescent girls seeking help. 5: PAC recommendation: Government should report …
Not Addressed
#9 —
Recommendation: The renewed Women’s Health Strategy should include an aim to improve the provision of school nurses, particularly in more deprived areas, where need is often greatest. Improving early access to care reduces the risk of symptoms worsening and the increased …
Response Pending
#8 —
Recommendation: School nurses can play a crucial role in helping girls recognise menstrual problems and provide a necessary, early pathway to appropriate care. However, the school nurse system has seen a substantial overall reduction in funding over many years and is …
Response Pending
#4 — Clarify required family court capacity and plans to resolve judge and social worker shortages.
Recommendation: Shortages in the number of district judges and social workers are contributing to delays, and to significant regional differences in timeliness of resolving cases. There are wide variations in durations of cases; for example, in December 2024, the average duration …
Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The Ministry of Justice, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the Department for Education, Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru are working together to assess and address capacity and …
Accepted
#6 — Set out plan for effective deployment of skilled professionals in inclusive mainstream education.
Recommendation: As part of delivering a fully inclusive mainstream, the Government must set out how it will deliver, over time, a system in which highly skilled professionals, including educational psychologists and speech and language therapists, are less tied up in undertaking …
Gov response: The Department is working closely with DHSC and NHS England to improve access to community health services, such as speech and language therapy, for children and young people with SEND. As set out in the …
Accepted
#8 —
Recommendation: The Government must develop a more rounded view of what children need and what positive outcomes for children are as we recover from the pandemic. Specifically, with regard to mental health, we believe that the Department must fast-track its commitments …
Gov response: 24. The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people remains a priority for the Government, both in responding to the current pressures felt by the pandemic and in the longer term. 25. The …
Under Consideration
#19 —
Recommendation: The Department for Education also spoke about an NHS England consultation, which closed early in 2022, on introducing waiting time standards for community and A&E mental health care.48 The new standards would comprise a 24-hour standard for urgent community mental …
Gov response: 5: PAC conclusion: We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental health issues and about the proportion of adolescent girls seeking help. 5: PAC recommendation: Government should report …
Accepted
#5 —
Recommendation: We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental health issues and about the proportion of adolescent girls seeking help. A survey found nearly 1 in 5 of 6- to 16-year-olds in England had …
Gov response: 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 5.2 In summer 2021, NHS England consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards as part of its Clinically-led Review of NHS …
Accepted
#16 —
Recommendation: We agree that catch up funding should be weighted towards children who have been “hardest hit” by disruption to their education. We know that many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will be in the hardest hit group; …
Gov response: Government has a group called the Equality Hub which tries to make things more equal and fairer. They told all Government Departments last year about what the law says and how they need to make …
Under Consideration
#7 —
Recommendation: Schools have an important role in how well disadvantaged White children recover from the pandemic. This relates to academic progress, emotional development, and good mental health. This is as true for disadvantaged White pupils as it is for other groups, …
Gov response: The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people remains a priority for the Government, both in responding to the current pressures felt by the pandemic and in the longer term. The Government remains …
Under Consideration
#2 —
Recommendation: With 8 out of 10 midwives reporting that they did not have enough staff on their shift to provide a safe service, it is clear that urgent action is needed to address staffing shortfalls in maternity services. Evidence submitted to …
Gov response: 24. The Government is considering this recommendation. 25. The inquiry’s report welcomed the recent investment of £95.6m by NHSEI to target the three overarching themes identified in the first Ockenden Report: workforce numbers, training and …
Not Addressed
#18 —
Recommendation: We asked the Department for Education what it considers it can do to support young girls with their mental health. It told us that it ensures the work it does with the Department of Health and Social Care is built …
Gov response: 5: PAC conclusion: We are extremely concerned about the waiting time for children to receive support for mental health issues and about the proportion of adolescent girls seeking help. 5: PAC recommendation: Government should report …
Accepted
#8 —
Recommendation: In order to support parents who have missed health visiting checks, we recommend that the Government provide additional funding to local authorities to enable in- person visits to new parents by appropriate local authority, voluntary organisation, or health visiting staff, …
Gov response: 4 Government Response: Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on In England, every family should be offered five health and wellbeing reviews (from prenatal to 2.5 years) that are universal in reach and …
Accepted
#17 — Delays in establishing SEND national standards attributed to co-creation and specific priority areas.
Recommendation: We asked the Department why the process was taking so long and specifically why it was not expecting to have a full set of new national standards even by the end of 2025. The Department said that it had made …
Not Addressed
#16 — Department's SEND improvement plan faces significant delays, extending national implementation beyond 2025.
Recommendation: We have been regularly pressing the Department to improve its support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) since we reported on this subject in May 2020.31 The Department finally published the results of its SEND review in …
Not Addressed
#51 —
Recommendation: The multiagency rapid needs assessment published in January 2021 noted there were no health services in the areas of Southern Tigray affected by the conflict, meaning that regular health service activities such as Maternal and Child Health, treatment of endemic …
Gov response: The UK will work through the multilateral system, in partnership with other donors, to address the restoration of basic services drawing on experience from other crises. At present the level of insecurity means that basic …
Not Addressed
#37 —
Recommendation: We recommend that the Department implement a new system of early intervention to support children and young people who self-harm and are at risk of committing suicide. Educational settings, as a universal provision, can have an important role to provide …
Gov response: We accept this recommendation in part. The Government is accelerating the role out of MHSTs. We agree that education settings can have an important role in prevention and early intervention. MHSTs, where established, are a …
Not Addressed
#5 —
Recommendation: The Department of Health and Social Care—in partnership with the Department for Education and all other relevant Government departments—must take radical steps to shift the focus in mental health provision towards early intervention and prevention. This must ensure that all …
Gov response: 47. We accept this recommendation in part. 48. Although record numbers of children and young people are accessing support and the NHS exceeded the ambitions of the 5 Year Forward View for Mental Health nationally, …
Partially Accepted
#4 —
Recommendation: During the pandemic, children and young people’s mental health has significantly worsened and the scale of the backlog mean that the NHS will not be able to treat its way out of this crisis. The need for early intervention and …
Gov response: 41. The government is considering this recommendation. 42. We welcome the committee’s finding that commitments in the 2017 green paper and the NHS LTP have been taken seriously. 43. There has been good progress: the …
Under Consideration
#19 —
Recommendation: Throughout our inquiry, we have heard that pupils’ wellbeing and mental health have been one of the greatest challenges as schools return. All pupils should undergo a mental health and wellbeing assessment to understand the scale of the problem and …
Gov response: 73. We recognise the challenges schools face in supporting children and young people to recover from the mental health and wellbeing impacts of the pandemic and the associated measures and restrictions. Our guidance provided when …
Partially Accepted
#18 —
Recommendation: The Department must fast-track its commitments to ensuring all schools have a designated mental health lead. All catch-up plans, including enrichment activities and longer school days, must include a specific role for activities that focus on mental health and wellbeing.
Gov response: 70. Mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Government, and we remain committed to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges. 71. As part of the Department’s commitment in …
Under Consideration
#17 —
Recommendation: Before the pandemic there were serious concerns about the mental health of our children and young people. The pandemic has exacerbated an existing crisis in mental health, with as many as 1 in 6 children aged 6–16 years old now …
Gov response: 70. Mental health and wellbeing are a priority for the Government, and we remain committed to promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges. 71. As part of the Department’s commitment in …
Under Consideration
#2 —
Recommendation: The Department must continue to establish the full effect of the pandemic on children and young people. This must consider the impacts felt by children from disadvantaged backgrounds and on the regional disparities of support offered. This must not be …
Gov response: 14. We recognise the need to ensure we understand the full impact Covid-19 has had on children and young people, including establishing the effect on attainment and mental health and wellbeing. This is why we …
Under Consideration
#7 —
Recommendation: We remain concerned at the number of new parents reporting limited or no access to health visiting services over the period of the pandemic. Virtual checks were a necessary innovation during covid-19, but new parents and their children must now …
Gov response: 4 Government Response: Impact of Covid-19 on new parents: one year on In England, every family should be offered five health and wellbeing reviews (from prenatal to 2.5 years) that are universal in reach and …
Accepted
#10 — Department's strategy risks a decade to return disadvantage gap to pre-pandemic levels.
Recommendation: We pressed the Department on when it hoped to eliminate the disadvantage gap completely. It told us that no country in the world had completely eliminated its 10 ERS0003 The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition page 1; ERS0005 …
Gov response: 1.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 1.2 The Department for Education (the department) is committed to narrowing the disadvantage gap as quickly as possible, using proven programmes and the best evidence, for example …
Not Accepted
#6 — COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted young people's mental health, necessitating whole-school approach
Recommendation: Evidence submissions from the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Young Minds and Adoption UK highlighted the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had had on young people’s mental health.10 The Department agreed with Young Minds’ recommendation calling for a …
Not Addressed
#9 — Calculate minimum ODA for training health personnel and invest in health infrastructure in LMICs
Recommendation: The involvement of trained health personnel and access to adequate health care facilities for maternal and newborn health improves health outcomes for the mother and child. The FCDO should support the strengthening of healthcare systems by prioritising investment in the …
Gov response: Partially Agree 30. The FCDO recognises the importance of health workers including midwives for the delivery of SRHR services. We have previously supported the WHO on developing midwifery policy guidance and are currently working with …
Partially Accepted
#2 — Require Northern Ireland Executive to prioritise SEN pupil numbers in education funding allocation.
Recommendation: After years of under-investment, the education sector has been struggling to fulfil its statutory duties. Spending per pupil has been consistently lower in Northern Ireland than in England. We are particularly concerned about the future of provision for children and …
Gov response: 3. “We therefore invite both the Government and Northern Ireland Executive in response to this report to set out their assessment of this future funding. We also recommend the introduction of a statutory duty on …
Under Consideration
#36 —
Recommendation: We are deeply concerned about the increasing numbers of children and young people who experience self-harm and suicide and the quality of care they are able to access. Much more needs to be done to tackle suicide and self-harm amongst …
Gov response: We accept this recommendation in part. The Government is accelerating the role out of MHSTs. We agree that education settings can have an important role in prevention and early intervention. MHSTs, where established, are a …
Not Addressed
#7 —
Recommendation: Commitments in the 2017 Green Paper and the NHS Long Term Plan have been taken seriously by NHS England and led to a significant expansion of provision. We are, however, concerned that many commitments may not yet be ambitious enough …
Gov response: 55. The government is considering this recommendation. 56. Improving mental health care and support for young adults is a priority for us. We know people aged 18 to 25 can, when trying to access mental …
Under Consideration
#20 —
Recommendation: Ahead of the 2021 Spending Review, we recommend that the Government assess which elements of the Best Start for Life Review’s implementation could be accelerated—in particular, opportunities to grow the health visiting workforce—and provide targeted funding to help achieve this.
Gov response: The Government has announced a £500 million families and early years support package of investment for the next three years. This will ensure children get the best start in life. the Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom …
Under Consideration
IMB Recommendations (8)
Wandsworth (2022)
The prison has significant staffing problems which were adversely affecting the regime. While the prison may theoretically have a full complement of staff, between 30% and 40% were either absent or on restricted duties. Will the Minister provide senior management with the resources and support to address this issue?
Ministry of Justice
Swaleside (2022)
The Board is extremely concerned at the continuing low numbers of staff and the seeming inability to recruit. The inequality of pay and conditions when compared to other government agencies is certainly a factor in the cause of this issue together with the accessibility of the geographical area in which the prison is situated. The low numbers of staff severely …
HMPPS
Isle of Wight (2022)
This was another difficult year with the prison continuing to face Covid challenges while managing an increasing population of Category C prisoners. Welcome progress was made towards a more normal regime as Covid restrictions were relaxed. However, the anticipated benefits of this were severely limited by chronic staff shortages. This resulted in prisoners remaining locked up for considerable periods of …
Other
Cookham Wood (2020)
There is a chronic lack of secure mental health hospital beds for children nationally, and the time taken to transfer boys with significant mental health issues to hospital from a YOI is inhumane. What urgent steps will be taken to work with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health to provide more secure mental health services for children?
Ministry of Justice
Feltham (2020)
Will the cap on admissions of young people to Feltham A be made permanent, and good levels of staffing be maintained?
Other
Humber (2021)
Key workers: While we understand that the effectiveness of the key worker process has been compromised due to the Covid-19 restrictions and staff shortages, we would urge the Governor to make it a high priority to re-establish this excellent initiative as soon as possible.
Governor / Director
Cookham Wood (2021)
What urgent steps will be taken to work with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health to provide more secure mental health services for children?
Ministry of Justice
Bronzefield (2023)
The Board has noted that there has been a severe and sustained shortage of staff provided by The Forward Trust for recovery services. How does NHS England plan to address this issue as a matter of urgency?
NHS / Healthcare Provider
PHSO Casework Decisions (19)
P-001525 — Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
Miss E complains that there was a lengthy delay in the Trust arranging an autism and ADHD assessment for her daughter, which led to a lack of support.
NHS in England
Sep 2022
P-004748 — Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mrs E complains the Trust did not not diagnose her son with autism or provide any follow up care.
NHS in England
Jan 2026
P-004670 — West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Mrs J complains about the care her son, K, received from the Trust. She says the Trust did not arrange or carry out K's autism assessment appropriately, did not refer K to Great Ormond Street Hospital for a second opinion when requested and provided incorrect information regarding his ongoing referral.
NHS in England
Jan 2026
P-001840 — Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Mrs H complains about the Trust's service between 2017 and 2021. She complains it did not follow clinical guidelines to assess her son within the correct timeframe and CAMHS refused to assess him despite receiving eleven referrals.
NHS in England
Jan 2023
P-003835 — Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Mrs B complains about the care the Trust's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) gave to her daughter. She complains it did not offer one-to-one support, it did not monitor her physical health and it did not arrange medication for her.
NHS in England
Jul 2023
P-003855 — East London NHS Foundation Trust
Mr A complains the Trust stopped his daughter's autism assessment and the family's access to support, without explaining why.
NHS in England
Jul 2023
P-003489 — Humber Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mrs H complains the Trust delayed offering a specialist psychiatric assessment, treatment, intervention or support to her son after his ADHD diagnosis, despite his ADHD report stating the importance of medicating him straight away.
NHS in England
Apr 2025
P-003806 — County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Ms M complains County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust delayed a referral and a funding application for her son to see an eating specialist in May 2022.
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Aug 2025
P-004327 — Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation …
MIss A complains about the lack of treatment and support provided to her daughter by CAMHS in 2022. She says the Trust has not correctly diagnosed her daughter resulting in a failure to provide the correct treatment and care.
NHS in England
Nov 2025
P-004663 — Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Ms A complains the Trust failed to correctly carry out an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment for her son and also refused to carry out a second assessment after she expressed her concerns about the initial one.
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Jan 2026
P-001167 — The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mrs L complains Trust A failed to diagnose her daughter’s ASD between January 2016 and December 2017. Mrs L also complains Trust B dismissed a referral from a paediatrician regarding suspected ASD in June 2016 and that Trust B failed to provide treatment or a follow up appointment following the …
NHS in England
Not Upheld
Oct 2021
P-001896 — Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Miss B and Mrs B complain the Trust's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) delayed making a diagnosis.
NHS in England
Upheld
Mar 2023
P-004335 — Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Miss O is unhappy that Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and Provide Community Services have declined a further ASD and ADHD assessment for her daughter, Miss A.
NHS in England
Nov 2025
P-004357 — Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board
Miss A complains that an ICB found her son, B, not eligible for children and young people’s continuing care in May 2024 and withdrew his care provision.
NHS in England
Partly Upheld
Nov 2025
P-004358 — Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Miss K complains the Trust attributed her sons attachment difficulties to her mental health, and refused to assess him for autism.
NHS in England
Nov 2025
P-004359 — Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Miss K complains the Trust refused to acknowledge her son had severe developmental delays and autistic traits, and refused to assess him for autism.
NHS in England
Nov 2025
P-001501 — Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Miss E complains about the actions of the CAMHS team at the Trust when it failed to put her son on the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pathway.
NHS in England
Aug 2022
P-001837 — HCRG Care Group
Miss Z complains HCRG refused to listen her concerns and cancelled her son’s autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment within weeks of his appointment.
NHS in England
Dec 2022
P-002406 — A practice in the West Northamptonshire area
Miss L complains the Practice did not do blood tests for her daughter or diagnose thyroid problems soon enough. She also says it missed opportunities to treat Graves' disease and Graves' eye disease.
NHS in England
Jan 2024
LGO / SPSO Decisions (103)
PSOW-201903330 — Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Ms C complained about her daughter, H’s, management and care by Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board’s “(the First Health Board’s”) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (“CAMHS”), including what Ms C felt was an unreasonable delay in diagnosing her daughter’s Borderline Personality Disorder (“BPD”). Ms C also complained about …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Health
Upheld
Jun 2021
PSOW-202503182 — Powys Teaching Health Board
Ms A complained that Powys Teaching Health Board assessed and then discharged her son from the neurodevelopment pathway. She also said that the Health Board did not respond to all of the concerns raised in her initial complaint. Whilst the Ombudsman noted that Ms A’s son had initially been discharged …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Health
Sep 2025
20-009-234 — London Borough of Wandsworth
Summary: Mrs X complains about the Council’s handling of her requests for more support for her child since 2018 and her complaints about this. The Council has already addressed and remedied faults identified by considering Mrs X’s complaints through all three stages of the statutory complaint process twice. The Council …
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Upheld
Jan 2022
21-016-344 — Suffolk County Council
Summary: there was delay by the Council arranging Speech and Language Therapy for Mr F’s daughter, G, but the Council has offered an appropriate remedy. There are no grounds for the Ombudsman to recommend the Council refund Mr F’s legal expenses.
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Jun 2022
24-022-535 — Gloucestershire County Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council delayed carrying out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment. The Council has accepted there were delays connected with a shortage of educational psychologists. It has now agreed to suitable remedies.
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Jul 2025
PSOW-202006042 — Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Mr A complained that Aneurin Bevan University Health Board failed to diagnose his daughter, B, with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (“ADHD” – a condition that affects a person’s behaviour in terms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity)in a timely manner as the 2 referrals that were made to the Integrated …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Health
Upheld
Aug 2022
20-014-415 — Wiltshire Council
Summary: Mr X complains the Council, the police and his child’s school failed to properly deal with his safeguarding concerns about his child’s welfare. Mr X says the matter has caused him significant distress, financial loss and his child continues to be at risk of significant harm. There is no …
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Not Upheld
Jan 2022
20-008-890 — Birmingham City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s action concerning Mrs X’s grandchildren. The contact and residence of children has been and can only be decided by a court. Matters from 2019 or earlier are late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate them …
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Jan 2022
20-007-078 — Worcestershire County Council
Summary: Mrs B complained that the Council acted inappropriately by telling her former foster children’s birth family that it was concerned she may attend their mother’s funeral despite there being no grounds to reach this conclusion. The Ombudsman found no grounds to criticise the Council.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Not Upheld
Jan 2022
21-013-085 — Coventry City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a safeguarding referral in 2014. This is because this happened too long ago, and I see no reason why the complaint could not have been pursued with the Ombudsman sooner.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Jan 2022
21-013-008 — London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about complaint handling. There is not enough evidence of fault to warrant this.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Jan 2022
21-013-461 — North Northamptonshire Council
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions in removing Miss X’s baby. The complaint is not separable from matters that have been subject to court proceedings.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Jan 2022
22-003-665 — Middlesbrough Borough Council
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions. The matters complained of are not separable from matters concerning the residence of and contact with Mr X’s child. This has been subject to court proceedings and Mr X also has a right to return to court it would be …
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Jun 2022
23-010-248 — Cheshire East Council
Summary: Mrs X complained the Council did not review her child’s education, health and care plan within the statutory timescales, failed to provide the provision in the plan and failed to provide alternative education when her child was out of school. We found fault by the Council causing Mrs X …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Jun 2024
23-009-667 — Wiltshire Council
Summary: Miss X complained the Council has failed to provide wraparound or holiday childcare for children with special educational needs in the county. We found evidence of fault by the Council because it failed to make sure it was aware of the childcare needs of parents with children who have …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Jun 2024
24-000-963 — London Borough of Bromley
Summary: Ms A complained the Council has declined a mediation meeting about its decision not to assess her child for an Education, Health and Care Plan. We discontinued our investigation as we cannot investigate the Council’s decision as it is caught by Ms A’s appeal to the Tribunal, which the …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Not Upheld
Sep 2024
24-000-474 — Somerset Council
Summary: Miss X complained that the Council had failed to consider a funding request from her son’s school. She said the Council had failed to stick to deadlines and her son has been out of education. We find the Council was at fault. This cause significant distress to Miss X …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Sep 2024
24-007-018 — Devon County Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about her child’s school, the contents of their Education, Health and Care Plan and the Council’s decision not to reassess their needs sooner. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mrs X to have used her right of appeal to a …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Sep 2024
24-018-393 — Derbyshire County Council
Summary: Mrs X complained the Council delayed in completing the review of her daughter’s Education, Health and Care plan. Because of this delay, she reported that her daughter stopped receiving some speech and language therapy provision and further provision through an occupational therapist. She also confirmed the Council failed to …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Aug 2025
25-017-567 — Essex County Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
25-016-808 — Essex County Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
25-013-074 — Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
25-012-427 — Lancashire County Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
25-012-309 — Nottinghamshire County Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
25-002-009 — Manchester City Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
25-001-312 — Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
25-001-244 — Devon County Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Not Upheld
25-000-981 — Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
25-000-073 — Hertfordshire County Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
24-000-456 — South Gloucestershire Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
25-012-635 — West Northamptonshire Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
25-011-682 — North Yorkshire Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
25-011-132 — Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
PSOW-202308836 — Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
Mrs A had complained to the Health Board about the care provided to her young child by the Neurodevelopment Team at Wrexham Maelor Hospital. She had also raised concerns with the Health Board via her local MS. The Health Board treated Mrs A’s concerns as an enquiry and responded to …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Health
May 2024
PSOW-202503804 — Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Ms A complained about the care and treatment afforded to her child, B, by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (“the Health Board”). When the Ombudsman looked at the complaint, she was concerned that Ms A said she had not received a report which the Health Board had undertaken to send …
PSOW (Public Services Om…
Health
Nov 2025
24-000-038 — Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Summary: We will not investigate Miss B’s complaint about the contents of a court report and a social worker failing to attend a court hearing without notice. This is because the complaint concerns matters which have been considered in court or are closely related to those matters.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
May 2024
24-006-837 — Essex County Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Education, Health and Care plan process. This is because the Council has agreed to an appropriate remedy for the injustice caused by the delay.
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Sep 2024
24-006-649 — Suffolk County Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X complaint about delay in issuing an Education Health and Care Plan. We are unlikely to achieve a significantly different remedy than already offered. We cannot investigate the content of the EHC Plan. And it is unlikely we would find fault in the Council’s …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Sep 2024
24-006-257 — London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s delay in issuing her daughter’s final Education Health and Care Plan and its failure to put in place sufficient speech and language therapy to meet her needs. This is because the injustice Ms X claims is not significant enough …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Oct 2024
23-019-454 — West Sussex County Council
Summary: Miss F complained the Council delayed issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan for her daughter and failed to provide her with a suitable full-time education when she was unable to attend school due to ill health. There was delay in issuing the plan. The Council should make a …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Oct 2024
23-014-461 — Oxfordshire County Council
Mr X complained the Council failed to secure suitable education provision for J, or discharge its statutory education responsibilities, when J stopped attending school. Mr X said this led to J losing education provision, affecting J’s educational attainment and wellbeing. We have found the Council at fault for failing to …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Oct 2024
24-017-714 — Wokingham Borough Council
Summary: We cannot investigate some of Miss X’s complaint about the content of her child, Y’s, Education, Health and Care Plan because she appealed to a Tribunal. We will not investigate the remaining matters regarding delay and poor communication because the Council apologised, and the remaining injustice is not significant …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Apr 2025
24-021-450 — Essex County Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about delays in the Education Health and Care Plan process. This is because the Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X and pay her £100 per month for the delay. We consider this an appropriate remedy and further investigation is therefore …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Apr 2025
24-009-698 — East Sussex County Council
Summary: Mrs Y complains the alternative provision offered by the Council was not suitable for her son, D, after he was permanently excluded from primary school. She also complains about delays in reviewing D’s Education Health and Care Plan. We find no fault in the alternative provision initially offered by …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Apr 2025
24-007-013 — Devon County Council
Summary: Miss X complained about delays in her son, Y’s, Education, Health and Care needs assessment. She said Y has been out of school since February 2023 and she incurred significant costs securing educational provision for him. Miss X said this frustrated and distressed her and Y. There was fault …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Apr 2025
24-010-382 — Kent County Council
Summary: Mr X complained about how the Council supported his child, Y’s, special educational needs. There was fault in how the Council failed to act when it became aware some of Y’s support was not being provided and in significant delays responding to Mr X’s complaint. The Council agreed to …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Apr 2025
24-005-411 — Hampshire County Council
Summary: Miss X complained the Council delayed issuing an education, health and care plan for her child, failed to provide sufficient alternative education, gave her misinformation about a placement, and communicated poorly with her. Miss X said this caused distress, meant she had to leave her job, and her child …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
May 2025
24-014-709 — City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Summary: Mr F complained the Council refused to provide home to school transport for his son (J) who has special educational needs. As a result, he has had to transport J causing a strain on his finances. Mr F also complained the Council failed to follow its appeals process and …
LGO (Local Government & …
Education
Upheld
Aug 2025
25-012-294 — Nottinghamshire County Council
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s conduct during court proceedings because the law says we cannot investigate what happened in court.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Oct 2025
25-011-421 — Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
Summary: We have upheld this complaint about delay in the children’s statutory complaints procedure. This is because the Council has agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused.
LGO (Local Government & …
Children S Care Services
Upheld
Oct 2025