A COUNCIL has apologised and been ordered to pay compensation after leaving a vulnerable boy with disabilities without the support he needed.

The Local Government Ombudsman has censured Somerset County Council after it emerged the authority did not know how find find a speech and language and occupational therapist for the boy.

The finding came after his parents had to complain for a second time after the council broke its pledge to provide services in 2015 and not repeat its mistake.

The boy, who has severe and complex speech, language, communication, sensory and physical needs, had spent five terms without a support package when the family first complained to the LGO in 2015.

Then after a tribunal the following year ordered the boy should get even more support, the council did not get him the therapists he needed.

His annual review said the lack of support was having an impact on his learning and education and on his ability to make friends.

The family again complained to the council, which explained it had changed the way it commissioned services and did not have arrangements or therapists in place.

County Hall had difficulties finding therapists locally and could not suggest any alternative, instead asking the family if they could find their own.

The family found two therapists but by then the boy had missed out on support for a term and a half, leading to the second complaint to the LGO.

The LGO slammed the council’s children’s services for "a level of ineptitude in funding, commissioning and delivering a statutory service”, which led to “vulnerable and disabled children missing out on the support they require”.

During the investigation, it emerged two further families of children with special educational needs were similarly affected by delays in finding therapists, but for different reasons.

The ombudsman, Dr Jane Martin, believes the level of funding the council set aside for the therapy services could indicate more people have been affected and should come forward.

She said: “At the heart of this case is a vulnerable young disabled boy who has been left without the support he needs to help him make friends and get on with his lessons.

“Somerset council agreed to the recommendations following an earlier complaint, but did not make swift enough progress to ensure the damage to the boy’s education was not compounded. It is important it learns from complaints to improve services for people.

“While I am encouraged that Somerset council has accepted the findings of this report, it now needs to act promptly and implement the remedies I have recommended in good time.”

The county was ordered to pay the boy's family £300 to cover "time and trouble" bringing the complaint and £1,000 for his educational benefit.

It must also keep a clear record of the number of sessions the boy has missed with the therapists from February to July this year and record the number of additional sessions he has since received to make up for that.

A County Hall spokesman said: "We accept that for a short time we were unable to provide the quality service this family would have expected of us. Our sincerest apologies have been extended to the family and we have continued to work alongside them to find the appropriate therapy for their son.

“We’re happy that this has now been resolved and that additional therapy sessions took place throughout the summer. Procedures and action plans have since been developed and put in place to ensure that there are more robust arrangements in place to secure therapies.”