A STOURPORT mum says she is "devastated" after claiming social services made a dramatic U-turn on their pledge to return her son - who has severe learning difficulties - to Wyre Forest.

Valerie Dennington told how she became "hysterical" after receiving a letter saying her adopted son would be staying in care in Leicester - despite, she claimed, being told by phone he was coming back to Kidderminster less than 24 hours earlier.

Mrs Dennington said she had called social services on March 31 and was told her son, Sujon, who has cerebral palsy, was coming to live in a specialist centre in Kidderminster on April 16. Valerie and Len Dennington with a photo of their son, Sujon.

She said the news left her and her husband Len "elated" and the two, both 63, went on a shopping spree to buy furniture for Sujon's new room, at Larches Road care home.

But their joy was short-lived when a letter arrived the next day telling the couple social services were to keep Sujon in Leicester, where he had been for two months.

Mrs Dennington said: "My husband opened the letter and said 'you will not believe this'.

"I felt absolute disbelief, I went hysterical and burst into tears.

"Sujon said he wants to be close to his family and Leicester is too far for us to go to see him as much as we would want to."

The letter stated an assessment would need to be carried out to determine the 21-year-old's "capacity to make decisions" and Sujon would remain in Leicester in the meantime.

Sujon has been in care since late January.

Mrs Dennington said: "We have no faith in the assessment. We feel they have already decided that he will stay in Leicester and that he should sever the relationship with his family."

A Worcestershire County Council spokeswoman said although Sujon was being considered for Larches Road, he would remain in Leicester for the time being

She added: "We did not tell Mrs Dennington that Sujon would be returning home.

" When anyone is transferred to another place a final assessment of the individual needs must be done.

"We are very sorry for any distress this may cause Mrs Dennington, however our priority is the care and well being of Sujon.

"Since his transfer to Leicestershire he has significantly improved.

"We are reluctant to move him without completing the assessment, for risk of undoing all the good work that he has achieved."