Nearly 100 children and young people with Education Health and Care (EHC) plans in the North East have not had their support updated properly by Stockton on Tees Borough Council, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

The issue came to light during an Ombudsman’s investigation, after a mother complained her teenager had missed out on a significant amount of support, and had been out of school for a long period, because their EHC plan had not been maintained properly.

The mother was concerned the council had not correctly followed the annual EHC plan review process, which meant information about the support the teenager needed was out of date. She said the council had sent her letters for two years stating it had carried out an annual review of the plan, when in fact it had not done so.

On one occasion, the date the council untruthfully claimed the review had taken place was a Saturday. The letter also referenced consulting with the teenager’s school before deciding it did not need to change the EHC plan when they were not in school at the time.

During the Ombudsman’s investigation into the mother’s complaint, the council admitted nearly 100 other children and young people had also received a letter which incorrectly stated annual reviews had taken place.

Ms Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“Annual reviews are designed to ensure EHC plans still meet the child or young person’s needs, and measure how they are achieving against their targets.

“Without carrying out an annual review, councils have no way of knowing whether they are fulfilling their requirements.

“I am alarmed that the council would send such mendacious letters to nearly 100 families of vulnerable children saying review meetings have taken place when the council was aware they haven’t.

“The council told me it issued the letters to comply with its statutory duties – but its duty is to carry out the yearly reviews, not to untruthfully say it has done so.

“We recognise councils are under increasing pressure to complete the various stages of the EHC process in the timescales required by law given the significant increase in children and young people with EHC plans. Nevertheless, we must hold councils to account. We welcome the council’s openness to telling us about the letters it sent to other families.

“I hope both Stockton on Tees and other councils can learn lessons from this case and the changes the council has agreed to make will ensure it has a firmer grip on the EHC plan review process in future.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the mum and young person in the initial complaint, and pay them £5,900 to recognise the impact of the missed education and the frustration caused by the decision letters that stated the annual reviews had taken place.

The council will also write to the 99 families it had identified as also receiving incorrect letters to invite them to contact the council and consider whether an interim review of the EHC plan is necessary.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council will develop an action plan to ensure every child and young person has an annual review every year.

It will also review its procedures for delivering Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS) provision in EHC Plans, to ensure it properly assesses what provision is required and develops processes to check the provision is in place and it acts on any concerns.

News reports around the planned meeting between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska this week have so far been dominated by discourse about security and territory. While the international community’s continuing commitment to ending the war in Ukraine is encouraging, it is crucial that human rights are integrated into peace negotiations.

A comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine can only be achieved if it is anchored in the international human rights framework. As the only universally agreed roadmap for honouring human dignity, human rights provide the reliable framework for settling disputes and form a solid foundation for just and sustainable peace-making. The best long-term defence against Russian aggression is to stand by our principles and defend the human rights and values that are under attack.

Ukraine, as the sovereign state that is the target of Russia’s illegal aggression, must always be present at the negotiating table as pointed out by Alain Berset, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Those responsible for gross human rights violations and international crimes must be held accountable. Victims should receive reparations. All prisoners of war and all civilian detainees, including children, must be released. The human rights of people living in territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia, to the extent that these areas may continue to be under occupation, must be respected. My recent Memorandum on human rights elements for peace in Ukraine offers insights into how to address these and other issues. Any peace agreement will be fragile unless human rights concerns are explicitly acknowledged and respected.

El síndic de Greuges de la Comunitat Valenciana, Ángel Luna, ha reclamado a la Conselleria de Servicios Sociales, Igualdad y Vivienda que garantice a los ciudadanos información suficiente, clara y actualizada sobre sus posibilidades reales de acceder a una plaza residencial en la red pública.

La institución recuerda que la Ley de Servicios Sociales Inclusivos reconoce el acceso a estos recursos como un derecho subjetivo y que, junto a este derecho, está el deber de la Administración de ofrecer información completa, veraz y continuada sobre el estado de cada solicitud. Este principio de transparencia es fundamental para que las personas y sus familias puedan tomar decisiones informadas y planificar su futuro.

La resolución se emite a raíz de la queja de una ciudadana que solicitó en enero de 2024 el traslado de su tío a una residencia más cercana por motivos familiares. Pese a que el traslado fue considerado prioritario, la solicitud sigue pendiente de resolución y la Administración reconoce que no puede ofrecer un plazo estimado.

El Síndic ha recomendado publicar periódicamente en la web de la Conselleria las listas de espera y las plazas adjudicadas, de forma que cualquier persona pueda conocer con transparencia el funcionamiento del sistema y su posición en él. También ha instado a ampliar la oferta de plazas para personas mayores no dependientes y a resolver con urgencia la solicitud concreta objeto de la queja.

Consulta nuestra actuación sobre este asunto.

La Defensoría de la Infancia y Adolescencia de Andalucía se suma a la declaración institucional de la Red Europea de Defensorías de Infancia (ENOC) y hace un llamamiento a proteger todos los derechos de la infancia.

La Defensoría andaluza de la Infancia, como integrante de la ENOC, comparte los términos expuestos en su declaración institucional e insta a los gobiernos nacionales, a la Unión Europea, a las Naciones Unidas y a los organismos internacionales competentes, para que adopten medidas inmediatas, coordinadas y contundentes para promover un alto el fuego en la región y hacer cumplir sin ambages el Derecho internacional, en aras de proteger la vida, la integridad y todos los derechos de las niñas, niños y adolescentes de Gaza.

La situación dramática y continua en Gaza, una crisis humanitaria sin precedentes, la respuesta insuficiente de la comunidad internacional y la falta de protección a los más vulnerables, cuestionan seriamente la vigencia de los derechos humanos como valor universal fundamental. El sufrimiento infligido a la infancia constituye una violación directa de sus derechos fundamentales, tal y como están garantizados en el Derecho internacional, en particular por la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos del Niño, ratificada por casi todos los países del mundo.

Por todo ello, la Defensoría de la Infancia, también como Defensor del Pueblo andaluz, se suma con esta declaración a la exigencia de una respuesta internacional urgente y contundente, que ponga fin a esta grave catástrofe humanitaria.

•  DECLARACIÓN DE LA RED EUROPEA DE DEFENSORÍAS DE LA INFANCIA