A mum has been awarded £400 after Richmond Council failed to provide her son with all the support he needed for his special educational needs (SEN). A watchdog investigation found Richmond Council also delayed acting on the worried mum's request to review her child's case.

The woman, named Ms F in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report, said the council's failings negatively impacted her son's education and wellbeing. She said her family experienced major distress as a result of the faults.

The boy, referred to only as J, joined a mainstream school in September 2023. His attendance dropped sharply by May 2024 and he had a mental breakdown.

Ms F asked the school for an early annual review of J's case on May 16, 2024, which was held on September 27. The watchdog found that if Ms F's request had been actioned promptly, the review likely would have been held earlier, with the delay causing the mum frustration.

The council declined to reassess J's needs, however, and confirmed it would keep his education, health and care plan (EHCP) as it was. The authority's response was 28 days late, according to the ombudsman, and did not set out Ms F's appeal rights.

In its responses to Ms F's later complaints, the council accepted it did not secure all the support outlined in J's EHCP as he was not provided with weekly emotional support and there were no checks on his eating.

The authority also accepted it should have considered sooner whether education offered by the school was suitable while J was absent and whether it had a duty to secure alternative provision, which it did in March 2025. J was given a new EHCP on June 3.

The council apologised to Ms F and offered her £400 for the injustice she experienced.

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A Richmond Council spokesperson said: "We are sorry that, in this case, a child did not receive all the support set out in their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We have apologised to the family and accepted the ombudsman's findings in full.

"Supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities is one of our most important responsibilities, and we take any failure to deliver agreed provision extremely seriously. We have implemented the recommended action, and we continue to strengthen our processes to ensure children receive the support they deserve."