Why council-funded home adaptations need a person-centered approach | Latest news

Samantha Crawford is a full-time carer and part-time student living in social housing in Worcestershire with her daughter Ava, aged 7, who is a wheelchair user and her twin sister, Olivia. When a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s (LGSCO) investigation into Bromsgrove District Council and Worcestershire County Council found multiple failures in the councils’ handling of adaptations to Samantha’s home, she received an apology and more than £4,500 in compensation. Following thepublication of LGSCO report from the investigation  in December 2024, Samantha decided to share her experience and learnings with Habinteg to help other people navigate the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) process.

 Samantha’s daughter Ava now has the adaptations needed to support her complex medical needs, but it took a long while to get there.

“I found the experience difficult… I only made the complaint because the council didn’t listen to me about what home adaptations were needed for Ava,” says Samantha.

The council adapted a home for the Crawford family with DFG funding before they moved in. They added a bedroom extension to the property, built to a specification based on an assessment by an NHS Occupational Therapist (OT), but Samantha says it wasn’t suitable for Ava.

“We weren’t involved in the home adaptations process. But, when we moved into the home, I realised very quickly it was unsafe and not suitable for Ava at all,” Samantha says.

“Ava’s bedroom didn’t accommodate both her wheelchair and her bed, so the bed needed to be moved constantly, and its only fire exit was via the kitchen. In addition, the garden had been redesigned with a retaining wall and steps, which made it inaccessible for Ava.”

Second opinion

“Following my complaint the council undertook further assessments, but they involved low-cost solutions that significantly reduced our living space. At this point, I paid for a private OT report - as a second opinion - and had private architectural plans drawn up based on that report,” Samantha says.

While Samatha was considering legal action, the council sought the view of their Home Improvement Agency, Millbrook Healthcare.

Millbrook agreed with Samantha’s private report and, consequently, the council rectified their adaptations.

Impact on family

Due to the extra changes that had to be made to the home, Ava had to live in temporary care for six weeks without her mother as she was recovering from major surgery and in a plaster cast from her hips to her ankles.

“The affect it had on her and her twin sister, emotionally, was unfair,” Samantha says. “We’d already had years of both girls being unable to play together because Ava can’t access the garden.

“The experience led me to have a burnout which, as a carer and a parent, is extremely stressful.”

Getting it right

Following the changes to their home,“Ava now has space to manoeuvre easily and store her medical equipment safely and she can play in her room which also has level access into the garden,” Samantha says.

“The changes have improved not just Ava’s quality of life, but all of ours, too. We can now eat together, which is what any family should be able to do.

“Ava can play outdoors, which is very difficult for us to achieve outside of the home. This has benefits on her overall health as it increases her lung capacity,” Samantha says.

Sharing learnings

Speaking about what would have improved the process, Samantha says: “It’s essential for the DFG assessor to know the needs of the person being assessed and to take a holistic view of the person’s carers and other family members such as siblings.”

“If you’re undertaking adaptations in your home, you should ensure that social services are involved in the DFG process. They’re responsible for ensuring that the needs of disabled people are met.

“The council told me there was no obligation to have a garden for play, or a table for dinner times, but they are all within the guidance from the Government.

“It’s not easy being a carer. I believe it’s important to know your rights around home adaptations because it’s a niche area. There are few advocacy services who have knowledge in this area and that’s why I believe the social care sector should be advocating for the needs of the applicant.”

DFG assessment

As well as increased advocacy support, Samantha argues that the DFG application process must be improved.

“The process needs to view the person being assessed as an individual with a life to live and a right to do the same things as anyone who doesn’t have complex medical needs,” she says.

“Councils should commission independent OT assessments as they need to have the needs of the applicants at the forefront of the process.

“I think it’s assumed that parents and/or carers will ask for too much, but we’re simply asking for our family members’ needs to be met. In my case, it felt like cost-savings were more important than meeting people’s needs.”

Support and advice

If you’re going through or considering applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant for yourself, a family or as the primary carer for a disabled person, support and advice is available at:

•  The Government’s Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) delivery: guidance for local authorities in England
•  Housing Adaptations for Disabled People by the Home Adaptations Consortium (Orange booklet)
• Habinteg and the Equality and Human Rights Commission has produced the  Housing and disabled people: a toolkit for local authorities in England , which is free to download.

• Disability Rights UK
• Citizens Advice
• Your local authority

If you’d like to know more about the lessons learnt in this home adaptations case, read Inside Housing’s article on Sam’s story.