Special Educational Needs (SEN) : Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council

Mrs C complained that Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council failed to undertake a SEN assessment of her daughter in a timely manner, which affected her access to education.

The Ombudsman found that the Council had taken longer than it should have to assess Mrs C’s daughter, that there was a lack of clear communication and the Council had failed to apologise for these failures. This resulted in Mrs C and her daughter feeling worried and uncertain, which she said affected their mental health and made the whole family feel stressed.

The Ombudsman contacted the Council and in resolution of Mrs C’s complaint it agreed to, within 20 working days, provide an apology for the delay in responding to Mrs C’s complaint, apologise for the delay in undertaking a SEN assessment, acknowledge the delays in the SEN assessment affected her daughter’s access to education and highlight areas of improvement to prevent a reoccurrence.