The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is calling for urgent change in education and children’s services.
The call comes as the Ombudsman found fault in 91 per cent of all complaints about education and children’s services.
A staggering 94 per cent of those cases involved special educational needs (SEN) provision.
Amerdeep Somal, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, is calling for urgent change to improve children’s outcomes
Of all the complaints the Ombudsman received across 2024-25, education and children’s services represented 47 per cent of all upheld investigations. Meanwhile, they made up 27 per cent of the caseload.
‘Change needs to be made urgently’
Amerdeep Somal is the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. She called for “urgent change’ to improve children’s outcomes.
She said: “We continue to maintain change needs to be made urgently in key areas of our work to ensure our children and young people receive the best possible support to achieve their potential.”
Complaints about housing made up the second biggest complaint load for the ombudsman.
Increasing problems with adult provision as well
But the third highest area of casework was adult care services. The Ombudsman said families caring for autistic and learning disabled people report increasing problems with this provision.
Baroness Louise Casey has begun her role as chair of the Independent Commission (the Commission) into Adult Social Care.
Turning to adult social care, the Ombudsman said: “We also have concerns about the issues we see in adult social care and hope the current independent commission into adult social care will identify solutions to help alleviate pressures in that system.”
‘We are finding more fault’
The UK Government has also asked the Casey Commission to consider older people’s care and provision for working-age disabled adults separately, “recognising these services meet different needs”.
Despite the work of the Commission, Somal said the responsibility for improving adult social care rested with local authorities. “We are finding more fault,” she said.
She added: “While I appreciate national pressures are largely out of local authorities’ control, we still hold them accountable to the law and guidance and the high standards people expect from their local services.”
The Ombudsman investigates complaints about independent adult social care providers. This is regardless of whether the local council is involved or if people pay for the care themselves.
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- Council pushed into paying for transport
- Mum wins compensation over education
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- Councils told to meet educational duties
Published: 22 July 2025
