Council Pays Compensation for Wrong Decision

 
The parents of Jonathan;
© Andrew Fox

Southend Borough Council have agreed to pay £35,000 in compensation for severe impact of an inappropriate placement for a young man with Down's syndrome.

Hilary and Kevin Devlin's 22-year-old son Jonathan has Down's syndrome, autism and little verbal communication. When he left residential college in 2003 a care plan was developed detailing his needs and outlining a suitable care package. However the council opted instead for a council run placement costing half as much. The two years of failed care included eight months in a secure psychiatric unit even though he did not have any mental health needs.

As a result of being placed in a setting that did not meet his needs, Jonathan's ‘behaviour deteriorated dramatically and he became a danger to himself and others'. The council then moved him to a psychiatric unit without informing his parents, where he was heavily sedated despite not having been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

The parents took their grievances to Local Government Ombudsman Tony Redmond who, after his investigation said: "One wonders what might have happened to Jonathan had he not had two devoted parents pursuing the council on his behalf." Describing Southend council he said: "Its determination to place Jonathan in its own cheaper placement led it to gloss over the fundamental issue of whether it could meet his needs."

Jonathan Devlin is now living in a placement near his parents' new home in Warwickshire where he is thriving. Tony North, executive councillor for community services and health said: "The Council very much regrets the distress caused to the young adult and his parents. What has happened is unacceptable."

- More on Mencap can be found at: www.mencap.org.uk

( Source: REHACARE.de )