The latest complaints about the way councils treat children are in, with the focus this week being on children with special needs. There has also been a marked drop in the number of complaints about family law cases.

The news published on this site last week that the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman was unable to investigate complaints relating to evidence and conduct brought to light in court hearings is unlikely to have affected the number of complaints in this area, though only three such cases are listed this week.

Most of the cases in the latest newsletter highlight councils withdrawing support services for children with special needs. The Ombudsman does hold several councils liable for removing these services and tells those councils at fault to reinstate support, though it’s clear from these cases that councils are cutting back and trying to save costs.

You can read the decisions here.