Focus Reports and Good Practice Guides

Focus reports highlight common or systemic issues we see, brought to life with case studies from our complaints. They share learning from complaints to help councils and care providers make improvements, contribute to public policy debates and give elected members tools to scrutinise local services.

Focus reports are web-based publications. If you need any of the documents in a more accessible format, please email website@lgo.org.uk

Children's Services and Education

Guide for practitioners: Supporting children out of school - published October 2025 Helping to improve council services for foster carers and their children - published February 2025 Helping to improve council services for adoptive families and their children - published November 2024 Parent Power: personal budgets in EHC plans - published November 2023

Out of school, out of sight? Ensuring children out of school get a good education - published July 2022

Guide for practitioners: Children's statutory complaints procedure - published March 2021 (updated June 2025)

Careless: Helping to improve council services to children in care - published December 2020

Not going to plan? Education, Health and Care Plans two years on - published October 2019

Guide for practitioners: Summer born Admissions - published December 2018

Firm foundations: council support and advice for special guardians - published May 2018

Education, Health and Care Plans: our first 100 investigations - published October 2017

All on board? Navigating school transport issues - published March 2017

School admission appeals: are parents being heard? - published September 2014

Special Educational Needs: preparing for the future - published March 2014

Family values: council services to family and friends who care for others' children - published November 2013

Out of school ... out of mind? How councils can do more to give children out of school a good education - published September 2011 (amended Jan 2016)

Adult Social Care

Good record keeping: guide for care providers - published February 2023

Guide for practitioners: Deprivation of Capital - published August 2022

Guide for practitioners: Section 117 aftercare - published April 2022

Caring about Complaints: lessons from our independent care provider investigations - published March 2019

The Right to Decide: Towards a greater understanding of mental capacity and deprivation of liberty - published July 2017

Working together to investigate health and social care complaints - published December 2016

Counting the cost of care: the council's role in informing public choices about care homes - published September 2015

Adult social care: LGO - the single point of contact for complaints - published July 2012

Health and Social Care

People not structures: putting people at the heart of integrated care - published July 2024

Housing

Access Denied: Reducing hte barrieres for Disabled people when accessing council housing and homelessness services - published June 2025

Guide for practitioners: Disabled Facilities Grants - published June 2025

Guide for practitioners: Homelessness decisions for Disabled people - published June 2025 Guide for practitioners: Housing allocations for Disabled people - published July 2025 Guide for practitioners: Domestic abuse and housing decisions - published October 2024 Guide for practitioners: Medical assessments for housing applications - published July 2024 Guide for practitioners: Unsuitable temporary accommodation - published May 2023

More Home Truths: complaints about the Homelessness Reduction Act - published March 2023

Home Truths - how well are councils implementing the Homelessness Reduction Act? - published July 2020

Still no place like home? Councils' continuing use of unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation to house families - published December 2017

Making a house a home: Local Authorities and disabled adaptations - published March 2016

Full House: Councils' role in allocating social housing - published January 2016

Homelessness: how councils can ensure justice for homeless people - published July 2011 (amended December 2015)

Planning

Not in my back yard: Local people and the planning process - updated August 2023

Recording Planning Decisions: guidance for practitioners - published September 2018

Environmental Services

Guide for Practitioners: Household waste offences - published October 2024

'Out of Order': learning lessons from complaints about antisocial behaviour - published August 2023

Lifting the lid on bin complaints: learning to improve waste and recycling services - published August 2017

Highways and Transport

Fairer Fines: Ensuring good practice in the management of Parking and Traffic Penalties - published February 2017

Benefits and Taxation

Focus on Housing Benefits - published January 2020

Guide for practitioners: Council tax reduction - published August 2019

Human Rights And Equalities Act

Equal Justice: Learning lessons from complaints about people's human rights - published December 2022

Equal Access: Getting it right for people with disabilities - published May 2022

Other subjects

Unprecedented pressure: learning from complaints about council and care provider actions during the COVID-19 pandemic - published February 2022

Help! Learning to improve council services for domestic abuse victims - published November 2021

Guide for practitioners: Armed Forces Covenant - published November 2019

Under Pressure: the impact of the changing environment on local government complaints - published December 2018

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