The woman was forced to share her bed due to overcrowded living conditions
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) have found that the council did not do enough to help a woman living in overcrowded conditions, and who was given a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) in order to care for a relatives child.
The woman, who was from Milton Keynes, was granted a SGO by the council to care for the child after the parents of the child were no longer capable.
However, due to overcrowded conditions the woman and child were forced to share a room as there was not enough space in the two-bedroom home as the woman also has another son.
The council offered alternatives, such as offering to pay the other son who was an adult, to move into a property of his own, as well as offering to pay to extend the property.
The council also suggested the woman rent out her property to afford a larger home for the family, but none of these were found to be suitable. The council were unwilling to to move the family into a larger property due to the cost.
Whilst the Ombudsman investigated the council an offer of £30,000 was made to the family to pay for a deposit on a new property, or to help the adult son move out.
The Ombudsman found that there was a 12-month delay in completing a needs assessment for the woman and were not clear about how they would help the family before should took care of the child.
The council were also criticized for how it reported the case and that it failed to show its reasoning behind the £30,000 offer to the family.
Not only has the council promised to pay the woman £30,000, but also offered £500 due to the inconvenience and agreed to apologise to the woman.
The council also stated it would review how it grants special guardianship orders in the future and provide training for its staff in order to properly process social work reports and any settlements that are made.
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