Ealing Council has been ordered to take action after an Ombudsman investigation found a disabled young man was left without therapies specified in his education and care plan for more than a year.
Ealing Council has apologised after an investigation found a disabled young man was left without necessary therapies for 14 months.
The young man, referred to as Mr B in the Local Government Ombudsman’s report, moved to Ealing with his family in spring 2025 while transitioning into adulthood.
His Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) stated that he should attend an independent special school and receive direct in-class support from a speech and language therapist.
However, the Ombudsman found the council failed to review his plan when it should have done and did not initially put the required educational provision in place.
The council should have made provision available from April 2025, but this did not begin until October, according to the report.
By July 2026, Ealing Council had still not issued a finalised EHCP.
The Ombudsman also found that the speech and language therapy and occupational therapy contained in Mr B's plan had still not been provided, amounting to a delay of 14 months.
In January this year, the council concluded Mr B needed support from a personal assistant to access his tuition. However, the Ombudsman found information needed to reach that decision had been available since April 2025 and the assessment could have been completed earlier.
A relative, referred to as Mr X, also complained about poor communication. Ealing Council attributed this to a staffing issue and apologised.
The Ombudsman identified a number of faults and set out actions the council must take to remedy the situation.
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