Council Caused Woman with Three Disabled Children Emotional Distress
Failed to meet requests for reasonable respite care
The children were too young to get overnight respite care at Ealing’s facilities such as the Islip Manor Children’s Centre
October 3, 2026
Ealing Council has paid a woman with three disabled children £500 for causing her “emotional distress” with the way it treated her complaints after failing to provide reasonable respite care.
The woman, referred to as Miss X in the report, had requested support so she could have a break from caring for her three children, who have complex needs. The offered respite care was deemed inadequate by the woman, who was later backed up by an independent panel and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).
But Miss X faced months of battling Ealing Council, with her complaints going through three stages before an independent panel upheld them eight months after her initial complaint. While the council had agreed to pay £500 as a remedy, it took her complaining to the LGSCO before the money was paid.
This panel found that Ealing Council’s child and family assessment was inadequate and that a social worker should have seen the children at home to properly assess what level of respite care was required. The Ombudsman report states that the failure to visit them at home “may have contributed to the council’s failure to understand the overall impact of Miss X caring for all three children, who have a high level of care needs”.
Given the high needs of the children, the panel did not consider that the respite support offered to the mother was reasonable.
Additionally, Ealing Council’s website contained incorrect information which misled Miss X into believing that overnight respite was a viable option for all her children. The website stated that the minimum age was eight, however the reality was that they needed to be at least 11 to be eligible.
Shortly after the panel shared its findings, the council wrote to Miss X agreeing with the findings and made a number of recommendations. This included amending the council’s website, reminding social workers it is best practice to visit a child in their own home, and completing a new assessment for respite support.
However, it took the Ombudsman’s involvement to pay the compensation.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said: “We apologise for the frustration caused by our failure to make the payment previously agreed with the resident. We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and have taken the actions recommended, including apologising directly to the resident and made the £500 payment.
“We have provided the Ombudsman with evidence that we have complied with its recommendations.”
Philip James Lynch – Local Democracy Reporter
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