Cheshire Council continually failed child for six years

The former Cheshire County Council “comprehensively and spectacularly” failed a child in its care who never attended secondary school, according to a local government ombudsman report.

The 20-year-old woman, referred to as L, complained that children’s services left her with her mentally ill mother, who prevented her from attending school and was prone to volatile, violent and bizarre behaviour.

Ombudsman Anne Seex found that the council failed to properly assess L’s needs during the six or more years she was in its care.

She found that L had not had enough contact with social workers, that the same issues were raised at every Looked After Child Review Meeting and allowed to drift, and that records were not properly kept. The council also failed to provide L with a personal education plan.

Seex also had concerns about how the council dealt with L’s initial complaint. She questioned whether the independent investigating officer was sufficiently independent, and urged council officers to reflect on a letter sent to L implying she was responsible for her treatment while in care.

Ls independent advocate, from the National Youth Advocacy Service, said: “At times L felt that the more she persevered with her complaint the more she was being held responsible for the extreme difficulties in her everyday life.”

Seex paid tribute to L’s character, intelligence and capability in making “tremendous efforts” to get a career. “It serves as an illustration of her potential that should humble those professionals who accepted her disrupted and inadequate education provision as sufficient for a child in their care,” she said.

Seex said Cheshire East Council, the successor to Cheshire County Council which ceased to exist in April this year, should arrange for a very senior representative to meet with L and apologise to her, provide a detailed plan giving L access to leaving care services until she is 25, and offer L £45,000 to buy a home or spend on education, and £1,500 for her trouble in making a complaint.

Erika Wenzel, chief executive of Cheshire East Council, said she would advise councillors to accept the recommendations.