A shortage of educational psychologists has contributed to another complaint being upheld against West Sussex County Council.
The council has paid out more than £23,000 this year to people who complained to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman about issues with their children’s Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCP).
The latest complaint to be upheld saw £600 paid to Ms X for delays in completing her child’s Plan.
The Ombudsman acknowledged a national shortage of educational psychologists – and the council’s efforts to plug the gap – but found fault with its failure to complete the EHCP process on time.
A council spokesman said: “We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and have apologised to the family involved.
“We acknowledge that we are at fault for the delay in issuing an EHCP and a financial remedy has been paid in recognition of the frustration and uncertainty experienced by the family.”
Earlier this year, the Ombudsman warned that the national shortage of educational psychologists was having ‘a significant impact’ on councils’ ability to set out the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
In West Sussex, the backlog of EHCPs not completed within the 20-week statutory time-line stood at 835 in April.
That was out of a total of 1,299 assessments being processed at the time.
The figures stabilised and were heading downwards after the council’s Recovery Plan took effect last autumn.
However, with the demand for plans increasing year-on-year and new educational psychologists needing three years to complete their postgraduate training, there will be no quick fix.
A council spokesman said: “We put children, young people and their families first and are working through a plan to resolve the issues.
“This includes recruiting additional staff and making the process of completing assessments more efficient. As a result, we are seeing the timeframes starting to improve.
“Together with our partners in the West Sussex Local Area SEND Partnership, we have set out how we will continue to develop vital services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities through our improvement plan.”
West Sussex County Council children’s home recognised for making significant improvements
LISTEN: Hedgerows & Harvest Weekend at Weald & Downland Living Museum
VIEW: Northern Lights spotted across the South
Southsea students and residents benefit from Priory School’s sports upgrade
WATCH: Bognor and Littlehampton MP hits out at government plans to introduce VAT on school fees
Free mentoring scheme for independent high street businesses in Chichester District
Crawley man, 23, jailed for publishing explicit images of children online
Worthing Pier closed to the public
Sussex expat in Florida has no power as Hurricane Milton hits Orlando
Plans to convert a Chichester office block into 60 flats
On Air