Worcestershire council ordered to pay mother for SEND support delays

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 17:38 · Archive

Worcestershire County Council has been found at fault by the Ombudsman for repeatedly failing to pay a mother for her daughter's special educational needs support on time.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Worcestershire County Council at fault for failing to pay a mother for her daughter's special educational needs support on time. The council made late payments on three occasions during the 2024/25 academic year, falling short of even its own six-week payment timescale.

The mother, who receives funding towards an education other than at school package for her daughter who has an education, health and care plan, invoices the council for support costs. Problems began after she submitted an invoice in November 2024 that was not paid promptly. The Ombudsman found the council failed to respond to her repeated contact attempts, including emails to the director of children's social care. After a formal complaint in January 2025, the council admitted it had failed to pay the invoice in good time and had not responded to her emails. Further delays continued through the summer.

The mother told the council by August that she had paid for support herself and needed reimbursement. The Ombudsman found the delays put her under financial pressure because she had to pay invoices herself 'to prevent Y losing support'. Worcestershire County Council upheld the complaints, apologised and offered £750 in recognition of the impact. From September, the council changed the arrangement to provide termly direct payments in advance.

How it is being reported

• Mum forced to pay for daughter’s SEND support after council delaysCOUNCIL failures left a Worcestershire parent having to pay for her daughter’s special educational needs (SEN) support out of her own pocket, an Ombudsman investigation has found.Malvern Gazette · 20 Oct, 17:22
• Mum forced to pay for daughter’s SEND support after council delaysCOUNCIL failures left a Worcestershire parent having to pay for her daughter’s special educational needs (SEN) support out of her own pocket, an Ombudsman investigation has found.Worcester News · 20 Oct, 17:22

In this story: Worcestershire County Council · Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman · Worcestershire

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem