Service improvements

North Northamptonshire Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 1 - 10 of 11 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for North Northamptonshire Council as a CSV file.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (25 006 118)

    Category: Education Date: 18-Feb-2026

    Summary

    There was service failure by the Council in failing to provide a school place, or alternative provision outside the home, when a child with an Education, Health Care (EHC) Plan moved into its area. There was also fault in failing to consult independent specialist placements, failing to review the Plan and failing to consider the full range of support available to families with disabled children. Y missed out on education, social and leisure opportunities for two terms, speech therapy for three terms and Y’s parents had to take on additional caring responsibilities. The Council has agreed to make a symbolic payment to acknowledge the injustice caused, to review the Plan, and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure that if it has children currently awaiting a place in specialist provision that consultations have been sent to the full range of provision, including independent provision, when the Council is not able to meet need from within its own settings, with a view to placing pupils as soon as possible.The Council will ensure it tracks and regularly reviews cases of children missing education, to include all children currently being held on the Council’s waiting list for a specialist placement, to ensure appropriate action is taken in a timely way. Ensure management oversight of such cases is in place and that EHC Plan reviews continue to take place in line with statutory duties.The Council will ensure all relevant staff are aware of the range of support available to children with SEN and disabilities, and parent carers, and that appropriate referrals and signposting between departments is in place.The Council will ensure it has a process in place to consider how special educational provision in an EHC Plan can be delivered to pupils unable to attend a setting.The Council will ensure reviews of sufficiency of places (in schools and alternative provision), and of the local offer, are on track and confirm to the Ombudsman when the Council last carried out such reviews and when the next review is due.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (25 003 374)

    Category: Education Date: 23-Dec-2025

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for failing to ensure that Miss X’s child, Z, received the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) in their Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan between September 2023 and July 2025. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss X and make a payment to acknowledge her frustration and the impact on Z of the missed provision. It has also agreed to review its procedures as to how speech and language therapy is commissioned and arranged when required as part of a final EHC Plan.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review how speech and language therapy is commissioned and arranged when it is required as part of a final Education, Health and Care Plan.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 022 819)

    Category: Education Date: 05-Jan-2026

    Summary

    Mrs B complained the Council failed to adhere to statutory timeframes for issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan for her child, X. We find the Council at fault for delays in completing the annual review and failing to consider its duty to provide the special educational provision set out in the Plan. These faults have caused distress, frustration and uncertainty for the family and impacted X’s access to education. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment and complete service improvements to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council should remind its relevant staff of the Council's section 19 duty to provide access to suitable, full-time education and its section 42 duty to secure the special educational provision detailed in Education, Health and Care Plans.The Council should ensure it has a full process in place to allow its relevant staff to easily recognise when the Council's section 19 duty to provide access to suitable, full-time education and its section 42 duty to secure special educational provision are engaged.The Council should ensure it has a suitable process in place for its staff to document when considerations are made which relate to the Council's duties to provide access to education and/or special educational provision.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 021 611)

    Category: Education Date: 27-Oct-2025

    Summary

    Miss B complained the Council failed to follow the statutory process for issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan for her son. We find the Council at fault for a delay in issuing the final Education, Health and Care Plan. This caused Miss B distress, frustration and uncertainty. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment to Miss B and complete service improvements to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure it has a process in place to ensure that where a refusal to complete an Education, Health and Care needs assessment decision is overturned during a mediation meeting, the assessment should begin without delay and the agreement to assess letter should be issued without delay. The Council should make its relevant teams aware of this process.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 017 975)

    Category: Education Date: 01-Sep-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to secure Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan provision after they moved into its area or complete a review of the plan within statutory time limits. We find the Council at fault, causing frustration and uncertainty and meaning Y did not receive the education he was entitled to. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to recognise the injustice, and act to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council should remind staff in its Special Educational Needs and Disability team of the need to follow the Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations where a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan moves into the Council’s area and the importance of ensuring Education, Health and Care Plan provision is in place and annual reviews are completed by the relevant deadlines.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 017 239)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 29-Jul-2025

    Summary

    On behalf of Mr B, Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of a safeguarding incident and subsequent investigations. We find the Council at fault for a delay in completing the safeguarding enquiry and poor communication during the process. This caused Mr X frustration, uncertainty and distress. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic financial payment and complete service improvements to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure it has a robust system in place to prevent staff absences causing delays to section 42 Care Act 2014 safeguarding enquiries.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 013 166)

    Category: Planning Date: 18-Dec-2025

    Summary

    We upheld a complaint from Mr B about the Council’s response to concerns he had about the incomplete housing development he lives on. We found the Council’s planning enforcement service communicated poorly with Mr B, including after he complained, and it lacked a clear plan to tackle the issues he raised. These faults caused Mr B unnecessary uncertainty, time and trouble. The Council accepted these findings and at the end of this statement, we set out the action it agreed to take to remedy this injustice and improve its service.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to issue advice to its planning enforcement officers on the importance of keeping clear records of their contacts with developers and their evolving thinking on their approach towards taking enforcement action. In particular, that they would record their thinking if a developer failed to comply with an Enforcement Warning Notice as happened in this case.The Council agreed to introduce clear customer service standards for communicating with those who report breaches of planning control triggering planning enforcement enquiries. This would ensure regular contact with those reporting breaches during the course of enquiries that may last many weeks or months.The Council agreed also to review the performance of its planning service in responding to complaints, following an eight month delay in answering a complaint in this case. If delays were not reducing the Council agreed it would draw up a plan of action to tackle and monitor this.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 011 415)

    Category: Education Date: 29-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complained that the Council acted unfairly when it decided not to award free school transport to her children. The Council was at fault. The Council did not carry out its assessment properly. The Council should apologise to Miss X and review its internal procedures.

    Service improvements

    Issue reminder guidance about decision making for school transport applications. Ensure staff are aware of the need to evidence availability of school places in decision making, and in communication to parents.Share learning from this decision with the relevant teams, and panel members.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 010 308)

    Category: Education Date: 29-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complained that her child, Z, did not receive the support they needed from a key adult while in school, despite this being a requirement of their Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council failed to arrange this provision and Z missed out on key adult support over several terms. The Council also delayed reviewing and finalising Z’s Education, Health and Care Plans and delayed responding to Ms X’s complaints. In recognition of the injustice caused by these faults, the Council has agreed to apologise, pay Ms X £1,610 and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council failed to ensure a child received the special educational needs support from their Education, Health and Care Plan.The Council hasagreed to remind its officers that the duty to arrange the provision in sectionF of Education, Health and Care Plans is non-delegable in law and the Councilremains responsible.The Council hasagreed to remind its officers that annual reviews are a key opportunity for theCouncil to check that special educational provision from Education, Health andCare Plans is in place and if it learns this is not being delivered, it should actpromptly to arrange the provision.The Council has agreed to investigate what led to the delays in complaint handling in this case and outline action it has taken to prevent these delays in future.

  • North Northamptonshire Council (24 005 627)

    Category: Education Date: 17-Jul-2025

    Summary

    The Council was at fault as it failed to provide a suitable alternative provision for Miss X’s child from January 2023 to November 2024, and it poorly communicated and handled her complaint. It was not at fault for making a safeguarding referral. The Council will apologise and make payments to Miss X to recognise the injustice caused by the loss of education and its poor communication and complaint handling. The Council will also remind staff of its duties to consider the alternative provision duty properly to prevent reoccurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant officers, either through training or a briefing note of the Council’s duties to consider its section 19 duty as soon as it is aware that a child is not attending school. The Council will also provide relevant officers with a copy of our guidance Out of school, out of sight? published July 2022.

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