'Angry' Northants mother heavily criticises council for failing to give her teenage son adequate SEND education

A ‘deeply saddened’ Northants mother has heavily criticised the council after it failed to provide her disabled teenage son with adequate education provision for months.

Teresa Kanso, from Weedon, has spoken out after a she was awarded £5,000 and an apology from West Northants Council for failing to give her 14-year-old son adequate special education provision.

In the latest of reports from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) on WNC, the authority accepted it had also failed to communicate properly with Teresa. The LGO found the boy missed nine months of proper education after problems flared up in the school he had been placed in. It said it was unable to meet his needs in April 2021 and WNC sought to find a new placement that summer.

By the end of March 2022, the council proposed another placement but said it knew it was not suitable for the long-term. Teresa appealed against the decision to put him on that placement. In the LGO’s report, the council “accepted the service…was not the standard that [Teresa and son] were entitled to expect and which the council hoped to be able to deliver to all families and children.”

Speaking to Chron and Echo, single mother Teresa said: “Our family was broken because my son’s needs were not being met. He wasn’t getting what he’s entitled to by law. Most of the services need to sort themselves out.

"My son’s mental health was gone, he felt no one liked him. That impacted on me and his sister. It’s very sad. He’s only 14. He felt very isolated and that he didn’t deserve a school. He was saying that no one cared about him. He just felt worthless. It was very upsetting to hear.

"There needs to be some accountability for local authorities because they are just getting away with not providing or fulfilling their legal duties. It’s not ok. My son is not the only one. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

Teresa explained some of the hardships SEND parents have to go through to fight their case against the council.

She said: “I had to give up my job because who’s going to watch my son if he’s not at school.

"The parent gets so beaten down, your mental health gets worse that you can’t face sending another email or speaking to people because you feel like no one is listening and no one wants to help.

“The only people that can fight this fight is parents who keep going, keep sending the emails, keep being annoying. Contact MPs, put your complaints in, go to the ombudsman.”

Teresa says the ombudsman’s report comes as a ‘relief’ following months of battling the council.

She said: “I just wanted someone to say, ‘yes, WNC has failed’. I wanted to know I was not going crazy. I was proved right. I’ve heard the local authority is not happy about these public ombudsman decisions.

“I just feel relieved. If more people do this, then something might change because at the moment nothing is changing.

"They haven’t got the child’s best interests at heart, they say they have but they don’t. I want that council to get sorted, wake up and shake up.

"Nothing is changing. WNC come on and say ‘we’re doing this and we’re doing that’ but everything is the same or worse. It makes me feel really deeply saddened.”

Asked to sum up WNC in one word, Teresa said: “Appalling.”

Teresa added that her is ‘much happier’ now he is in a suitable school environment.

"He’s in his new school and he’s making friends and is much happier. He feels supported,” she said.

Councillor Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Education and Skills at West Northamptonshire Council said it acknowledges the report and is ‘working hard to address the challenges outlined’.

Councillor Baker said: “In the past two months, we have spoken to over 800 families, health, care and school professionals to hear first-hand the feedback, challenges and improvements needed to help develop an inclusive SEND strategy for West Northamptonshire over the next three years. This strategy will set the direction of travel for us as a Council to ensure our children and young people with SEND access the right learning environments and support.”

A freedom of information request submitted by this newspaper to WNC found that in 2022, the council was involved in 54 tribunals with SEND parents, which cost a total of £274,935.54 in legal fees to defend in court.