Teenager with significant support needs left days from homelessness due to ‘unfathomable’ council failings: Ombudsman

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found fault in the actions of Devon County Council after it left a teenager with needs including Autism and ADHD less than a week away from being made homeless because the council had not decided where he should live when he became 18.

The complaint came from the teenager’s mother, issued on behalf of her son, that Devon failed to ensure an effective transition of social work services when he turned 18. In particular, that he had been forced to leave a children’s home placement and move to a supported living placement 30 miles away. This left him 40 miles away from his family and 60 miles from his place of education, for which the council initially failed to provide transport, which caused him to become isolated from his mother and he missed half a term of education.

According to the LGSCO, the county council was aware of the fact that the teenager experiences anxiety and has a history of self-harming, and its actions put him at increased risk of these behaviours. His mother said she also suffered her own distress being unable to see him as often as before.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, said: “This young man had been on the council’s radar for years, so it is unfathomable why it took so long to begin planning for how he would transition from children’s to adult services when he turned 18.

“This inertia by the council, and the lack of joined-up working between departments, led to a young man – who needs stability, security and routine – having his world rocked by the uncertainty of where he would be living in future.

“I am dismayed that senior officers at the council, who made the decision about where the teenager should live, decided this course of action was acceptable."

Somal added: “It appears this uncertainty was triggered primarily by the council’s adult services department’s reluctance to pay for the accommodation, at which he was settled near to his school, and its decision not to allow him to remain there was purely financially driven, taking no account of the significant effect this would have on his needs.”

Devon has agreed to apologise to the teenager and make a symbolic payment of £1,000 to recognise the distress caused. It will also make a symbolic payment to his mother of £250, and arrange a meeting with her and his education provider to consider whether there is any additional tuition or support that can be provided to help make up for the lost provision.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s full decision is available here.

In a joint statement, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Members for Adults Services and Children’s Services, Cllrs Phil Bullivant and Andrew Leadbetter, said: “Devon County Council sincerely apologises for the distress and disruption caused to a young person during his transition from Children’s to Adult services.

“We acknowledge the findings of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which highlighted significant failings in our planning and coordination.

“We recognise that our shared responsibility across both services in providing care to individuals with complex needs was not adequately met, resulting in unnecessary anxiety and hardship for the young person and his family."

The two councillors added: “We are committed to learning from this case and have taken immediate steps to improve our processes. These include revising our procedures in the shared space between Children’s and Adults services and strengthening communication and collaboration across these services to ensure a seamless approach to care.

“Our priority is to prevent such failures in the future and to restore trust in our ability to provide compassionate and effective support to those in our care.”

Harry Rodd