Isle of Wight Council Cabinet Members have considered the results of an Ombudsman’s report into the handling of the case of a boy who was left without the support he needed for months.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the Council admitted injustice to the boy, who has visual impairments and other medical conditions, following the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) findings.
They found that no clarification was sought on the actions that needed to be taken following a tribunal in 2019 – and that the Council removed provisions and issued a final plan instead.
The father of the boy, who will not be named in order to prevent the identification of the boy himself and in this article will be known as Mr X, has provided his view of the outcome of the investigation to Island Echo and the subsequent response.
Mr X said:
“Mr Crocker (Director of Children’s Services Isle of Wight Council) has recently made comment in the press with regards to a recent Ombudsman (LGO) case concerning an injustice to a child with medical conditions.
“He states the council get most interactions right however it seems if this is the case then the council has something against my son, and other disabled children, when this is frequently has not been our experience.
“It is further stated that the council do not quibble when they get it wrong, yet they did as Mr Croker references the council’s response to the first draft which was precisely that and if that were the view then this would never have reached the LGO.”
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Councillor Debbie Andre, the new Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills presented the paper to the meeting, confirming that the matter had been fully discussed with those involved such as the Director of Service, Steve Crocker.
Cllr. Andre assured members that she would ‘keep an eye on the issues’ and that she is ‘confident’ that the recommendations made by the LGSCO have been actioned within the timescale stipulated.
It comes as Councillor Jonathan Bacon, the new Cabinet Member of Environment, Heritage and Waste Management, said in the meeting that he had seen reports regarding the case and quoted another part of the father’s statement – which was also sent to the Council:
“Councillors should not draw comfort from the 2019 Ofsted inspection report when there is a significant cohort of disabled children and their siblings being failed by the SEN and the Disabled Children’s teams as they are not placed at the heart of the work of the area leaders referred to in the Ofsted report.
“The major issue has been timeliness so although the LGO recommendations have been belatedly followed our son now misses out on overnight respite as his needs have changed as he has got older, and the provision has not kept up those needs.
“The council invariably behind by months and years in meeting needs as very slowly reactive rather than creative or proactive.”
In his statement, Mr X also suggested that his son’s case could be just ‘the tip of the iceberg’. He said:
“No one goes through the council’s complaints process and onto Ombudsman just for their own case, there is the hope that there will be a real change to make the hours it takes worthwhile.
“Councillors need to realise any case getting as far as the Ombudsman is likely just the tip of an Iceberg of the actual issues encountered.”
Several recommendations were made by the Ombudsman in its report, which all members of the cabinet voted in favour of executing. The full report including those recommendations can be found here.
however it seems if this is the case then the council has something against my son, and other disabled children
Nothing like doing the groundwork to launch another cash grab of taxpayers cash in the form of compo – leeches.
well if the Council done their job properly in the first place, there would be no need for compensation would there?
What is it with you and taxes in general, was you yourself once persecuted in a previous life by the Romans ? Or is it that you have some sort of phobia about contributing a percentage of your wages towards a decent and just society? Or are you just a pathetic and twisted little poisoned person with a massive chip on your shoulders ? X
i work each day to make my life better – not someone elses and I begrudge every penny that is taken from my salary in the form of taxation – do not dress it up using the word “contributing” – it is legalised theft from me – i worked for that cash, not the state and i do not expect to have to hand any over to sponging layabouts that do nothing but exist at the expense of others
perhaps if there were less hand wringing, do gooding lefty socialists like you around, those of us that actually work would have more money to spend on ourselves – after all, we earnt it.
so are you against alcoholics? they are scroungers who decided to drink, and get everything for free, and the government splashes hundres of thousands to millions a year, just to feed the alcoholics addiction no questions asked. just for a choice in life. if born with a disability then a child hasn’t chosen the disability from a tick box list, and yet can be life long, and severe enough to need round the clock care, that isn’t the child’s fault, or in most cases the parents fault either.
and it isn’t my fault either and i am not willing to pay any money via taxes to support a child that someone else brought into the world – if their child is disabled and needs care, they pay for it – it is not my responsibility – i work for me, not others.
My childs got severe disabilities and I work every hour I can possibly work yet still wouldn’t have the money to pay for what my child needs as much as I would love to as a father, my child didnt ask for disabilities and it was not mine or my partners fault either.
An EHCP is of no financial gain for a family it lists the needs of the child.
So how about you stop targeting disabled children as it seems every article about this on here your the first to comment.
Stop making out every family with a disabled child are layabouts because I’m not and many other families I know arent either and crawl back into your sad little hole you call a life.