By Gavin Mackintosh-
The Local Government Ombudsman has concluded that Croydon Council failed to provide adequate support for a man with autism, causing a “crisis” for him and his family.
The Ombudsman has ruled against Croydon Council for failing in its duty of care to safeguard the man and his family.
The council agreed to apologise to the man and his mother, and pay them both £1,000 to reflect their anxiety and frustration.
It said it will also arrange a reassessment of the man by someone trained in supporting people with autism, and will remind staff about a number of issues including person-centred practice, the duty to complete carers’ assessments, the Equality Act 2010, and the need to make reasonable adjustments where necessary.
The Eye Of Media.Com heard that the man’s mother had wanted to sue the council, but lacked the necessary funds to do so, opting instead to contact the Ombudsman afetr being advised to pursue that route.
The angry claimant, whose identity has been withheld, said the council’s lack of proper action led to the breakdown in her relationship with her son.
She accused the council of failing to properly support either of them when her son moved to supported accommodation.
The incompetent council also failed to assess the woman’s needs as a carer ,the overlooking the challenges she faced with basic communication.
It is not the first time, Croydon Council have been on the receiving end of criticism from the Ombudsman for failing to fulfil its duty to someone suffering with autism. Learning lessons has not been a strong point of Croydon Council over the years.
In 2017, Croydon Council was ordered to pay £11,250 in compensation after abandoning a grandmother with no help in caring for her disabled grandson for two years.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found “a catalogue of unacceptable failings by London Borough of Croydon, which has left a family stretched to breaking point”.
The complaint had been brought by a woman had been struggling to care for her grandson, who has autism and Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes a range of developmental problems including learning disabilities and cognitive impairment.
A care package that ended suddenly in February 2015 when the school said it could no longer meet the grandson’s complex needs left her with no respite since this date.
At one point after the respite care ended, the grandson was hospitalised following a severe epileptic episode. The grandmother became emotionally unwell and was unable to look after the teenager, and the council had to find a temporary placement for him.
She complained to the Ombudsman about the lack of respite care, the council’s transition planning and also about his Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) not being completed in time.
Croydon Council’s failure to properly implement EHCPs has been the cause of numerous complaints in recent years from several concerned parents.
A statement issued by the Ombudsman’s office read: “The man had initially been living with his mother. He finds building relationships difficult and can become verbally aggressive when frustrated or anxious.
“As a result, the mother contacted the council to say she was feeling increasingly concerned about her son’s verbal threats and was finding it difficult to manage. At one point, because of the poor support, the man was sending up to 80 messages a day to his mother.”
The Ombudsman’s investigation cheavily criticised the notorious Croydon Council for failing to assess either the man or his mother adequately.
They said, the council “failed to put in place the support the man needed as a person with autism when he moved into his flat, causing him anxiety and shifting the burden on to his mother. As a result, it failed to record preventive measures or a contingency plan of what would happen if his mother could not cope and the situation in the home became untenable.
“This resulted in the family reaching a crisis point with no alternative options readily available.”
They also found that the council did not provide the man with a personal budget to meet his needs and only offered him the choice of one service provider.
“The council did not provide the man with a support plan or involve him in his own support planning and it did not offer him an advocate when it was clear both the man and his mother were struggling.”
Appropriate training
Michael King, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said, “This case highlights how crucial it is for staff to have appropriate training so they have the skills and knowledge to support people with autism.
“Because of this, the council failed to identify the man’s individual support needs and include him in designing his own support plan. This left the man frustrated and anxious, and his mother bearing the consequences.
“I am pleased the council has accepted my recommendations to improve its services for other people with autism in the borough.”
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s role is to remedy injustice and share learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services.