Council 'extremely sorry' after mum challenges disabled son's safety plan

A council has said it is “extremely sorry” about its handling of complaints by the mother of a disabled pupil after concerns were raised for his safety.

The mum, who wishes to remain anonymous, raised concerns about her son’s safety while at primary school in East Renfrewshire due to his complex needs and requirement for one-to-one support.

She repeatedly sought reassurance from the school about fire alarm procedures and requested a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP).

Fire alarms are a known trigger for the child and create a “significant risk” due to the possibility of a seizure or his attempting to flee, the mum said.

However, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) found that the school declined, stating that a risk assessment was sufficient.

The SPSO found there was no evidence that the mother was aware that any discussions or input they had were to be used in the creation of an evacuation plan.

The SPSO also upheld other complaints that the council incorrectly decided that the pupil in question did not require a PEEP and that it provided information to the family when challenged that contained “inaccuracies”.

Scottish Government guidance states that a PEEP for staff and children in educational premises who may not be able to self-evacuate should be discussed and developed as part of their enrolment.

The SPSO also asked the council to provide evidence that it has audited schools in its area to ensure that no other pupil has been similarly affected.

The ombudsman noted council responses “indicate a lack of awareness of the specific requirements of their own policies and Scottish Government guidance”.

The pupil’s mother told STV News: “While this case centres on my son, I believe it raises important questions for other disabled and ASN children across East Renfrewshire and beyond.

“What concerns me most is not only that these failures occurred, but that they occurred despite the existence of council policy, Scottish Government guidance, internal investigations and oversight by senior officers.

“If these safeguards were insufficient in my son’s case, it raises wider questions about whether Scotland’s current framework provides enough protection for disabled and ASN children when it comes to safety planning.

“Meaningful parental involvement should be treated as a safeguarding requirement rather than a discretionary aspect of good practice. Fundamentally, safety plans should be made with disabled children and their families, not for them.”

An apology letter was sent to the mother by Joe McCaig, East Renfrewshire’s head of education services, apologising for the failings that had been identified.

An East Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We always ensure that appropriate risk assessments are in place for all children, although recognise that our approach in this case has fallen short, for which we are extremely sorry.

“Following the findings by the ombudsman, which we fully accept, a range of steps are being taken to address the findings.

“An action plan has been agreed which will include engaging with the school’s Senior Leadership Team to review the outcome, reinforcing expectations with all of our staff about the essential need for appropriate and meaningful consultation and involvement of parents and carers in such decision making, and ensuring that decisions are clearly evidenced, recorded and linked to appropriate policy.

“We will also take additional steps to ensure all schools regularly review risk assessments and PEEPS, especially for those children with complex ASN.”