Case Ref: 23 005 766 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will ensure decision letters for EHC decisions correctly reflect the reasoning of the decision maker or panel in order that a parent or young person can understand the Council’s decision and challenge it if required via appeal.
• The Council will ensure it has processes and staffing in place to progress EHC needs assessments within the statutory timeframe and that schools are consulted at the appropriate time.

Case Ref: 23 008 172 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its policies and procedures to ensure that in future it can demonstrate it, or anybody acting on its behalf, adheres to the statutory timescales for the Education, Health, and Care Plan process. This is to ensure there are no delays in arranging provision or individuals’ rights to appeal to the SEND Tribunal.
• The Council will remind its staff to respond to and action the concerns it receives from parents, or young people, about issues with educational provision or the Education, Health, and Care Plan process without delay.

Case Ref: 23 002 345 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council will ensure it has procedures in place to fully consider and respond to all complaints about services it commissions.

Case Ref: 23 001 082 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will remind staff of the need to arrange interim accommodation as soon as the threshold reason to believe the applicant is homeless, eligible for housing assistance, and in priority need has been reached.
• The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to keep a proper record of advice given about housing offers, and send a letter confirming why an offer is suitable and the consequences of refusing it.

Case Ref: 23 000 262 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The Council failed to properly assess the impact development might have on a tree that was protected by a Tree Preservation Order. If the application had been properly considered, it is likely it would have been refused because of the likely damage to a protected tree. The Council agreed to negotiate with the developer in consultation with its tree officer in an effort to ensure the tree is protected.
• The Council agreed to review its service in relation to tree protection powers and make changes to practice and procedure and provide any officer training it finds necessary.
• The Council agreed refer the Ombudsman's case to its relevant oversight and scrutiny committee.

Case Ref: 22 017 245 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind all front-line staff in the SEND team and their managers of the process to follow when amending Education Health and Care plans.
• The Council will ensure all front-line staff in the SEND and education teams and their managers review our Focus Report Out of school, out of sight? issued in July 2022 and amended in August 2023.
• The Council will review its complaint handling to ensure there are no delays in providing stage two responses to complaints about Education Health and Care plans process.

Case Ref: 22 016 105 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council will review its policies and procedures to ensure that in future it can demonstrate it, or anybody acting on its behalf, has considered the individual circumstances of each particular child who may need the Council to make alternative arrangements for their education. The Council should be able to demonstrate how it made decisions, including decisions not to make alternative arrangements for a child’s education. The Council should be able to demonstrate any education offered was both suitable and full-time. If the education is less than full-time, the Council should be able to provide evidence to demonstrate why.

Case Ref: 22 014 118 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide us with its plan to improve compliance with the Education Health and Care plan timescales.
• The Council will provide training to its Special Educational Needs staff and review the process to ensure whensending final EHC plans to parents/young people, the Council advise them on theirappeal rights.
• The Council will review its Personal Budget process to ensure:a) When requesting Personal Budget parents/young people are providedwith the advice on:1. The provision for which apersonal budget may be available;2. Detailsof the organisations that provide advice and assistance on personal budgets;3. Theconditions which must be met before direct payments may be made;4. Right to ask for a review ofthe decision refusing direct payments.b) Once Personal Budget is agreed to be delivered through directpayments there are clear steps for making funds available to the parents/youngpeople.

Case Ref: 22 010 502 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will work with the ICB to develop or review their policies on handling complaints involving both organisations, to prevent recurrence of the fault found in this complaint.

Case Ref: 22 009 889 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Remind all relevant staff of the need to ensure all complaints complete the complaint process fully.
• Remind all relevant staff that concerns raised about provision should be investigated and addressed without delay.
• Review its procedures and provide guidance to its staff to ensure decisions made to maintain, amend or cease EHCP’s following reviews are issued within the statutory timescales.