Council errors left child in unsuitable home

A disabled child was forced to live in an unsuitable home with limited space for their hospital bed due to a "catalogue of errors" made by two councils.

A watchdog found that Bromsgrove District Council and Worcestershire County Council took too long to adapt the home to the child's "significant and complex" needs.

It found the child's bedroom was too small for specialist equipment and the garden's patio was not big enough for their wheelchair to turn on.

The district council will pay the mother £2,000 and the county council will pay a further £4,000 to acknowledge the injustice caused.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Amerdeep Somal said: “The councils focused too much on achieving adaptations that would fit within permitted development rights, rather than on providing a home that was suitable for the child’s needs.

"Because of this the child and their family spent far too long living in a place that was fundamentally not good enough."

She added that it was "possible that the councils have now spent significantly more on changing the property following the initial works than they would have done had they got it right in the first place."

The child and their family were found to be living in an unsuitable property and Bromsgrove District Council accepted the family was therefore homeless.

A property was found that could be adapted, but the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said the councils made a catalogue of errors when adapting the home to the family's needs.

It said the authorities failed to consider the child's small room and that they would need a bigger bed as they grew.

The child's bedroom was so small, they did not have full access all the way around their hospital bed.

The councils spent too long deciding whether to extend the bedroom by taking space away from the kitchen, which would have meant the family had nowhere to sit together at mealtimes, instead of extending the property further.

Garden adaptations meant the child could only access a small patio and the rest of the garden was only accessible by steps.

An investigation found work to adapt the property took longer than it should have and still did not meet the child's needs - leading to further significant alterations.

The child had to spend six weeks in temporary care away from their family while work was carried out in the home.

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