The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has upheld a complaint against Ealing Council after finding the authority failed to ensure a child with special educational needs received therapy support set out in their Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan for almost two years.
The watchdog found a child, referred to as Y, missed significant speech and language therapy and occupational therapy provision between June 2024 and February 2026.
The decision also found the Labour-run council delayed issuing an amended EHC Plan following an annual review in June 2025.
According to the ruling, Y, who has autism and was of secondary school age in 2024, should have received 75.5 hours of speech and language therapy and 38.5 hours of occupational therapy after an amended EHC Plan was issued in May 2024.
The ombudsman said the provision should have started from June 2024 but was not put in place.
Y’s mother, referred to in the ruling as Mrs X, complained to the council in March 2025, saying the child was struggling in school and unable to cope because of the lack of support.
The watchdog found the failures caused Y to miss “significant amounts” of provision intended to support communication, sensory regulation and emotional wellbeing.
The ruling also concluded the council failed to meet statutory deadlines following the annual review of the EHC Plan, with the amended plan not issued until February 2026 — around five months later than legally required.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the ombudsman’s findings and accept, in this case, we did not meet the required standards in putting therapy provision in place.
“We are very sorry for the impact this has had on the child and their family, including the distress, uncertainty and disruption to education.
“We have issued a formal apology, made a financial payment to recognise the injustice caused, and are continuing interim payments until the specified provision is in place.
“We put in place an action plan to ensure the required therapy provision is commissioned and delivered, alongside strengthened monitoring and oversight arrangements.
“We are reviewing our processes to improve how we track and deliver Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and ensure delays such as this do not happen again.”
As part of the remedy, Ealing Council agreed to pay Mrs X £6,200 to recognise the injustice caused to Y by the failure to deliver therapy provision between June 2024 and February 2025.
The council also agreed to continue paying Mrs X £100 a week, for a maximum of six months, until the required therapy provision is fully in place.
The ombudsman also reminded councils they have a legal duty to ensure provision listed in Section F of an EHC Plan is delivered, even when services are commissioned through schools or external providers.
The full decision has been published by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
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