Service improvements

Birmingham City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

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 31 - 39 of 39 cases with service improvements

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

  • Birmingham City Council (23 012 862)

    Category: Housing Date: 13-Aug-2024

    Summary

    The Council failed to provide suitable accommodation when Mr B and his family were homeless. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 58 weeks, one year more than the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with family commitments. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Mr B to remedy his family’s injustice. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to change its letter template to ensure that when applicants with dependent children are placed in B & B accommodation under the interim or main housing duty, they are informed that the Homelessness Code of Guidance states that this should be limited to no more than six weeks.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 011 756)

    Category: Housing Date: 22-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complains that the Council wrongly disqualified him from the housing register and failed to provide accommodation for him despite being homeless. The Council is at fault as it delayed in dealing with its review of the decision to disqualify Mr X from the housing register and did not fully explain its review decision. The Council is also at fault as it did not offer suitable temporary accommodation to Mr X when it accepted the main housing duty. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice to Mr X by apologising to him and making symbolic payments to him to acknowledge the distress caused.

    Service improvements

    By training or other means, remind officers dealing with reviews of the Council’s decision on a housing application, that they should fully explain the factors considered and reasons for decisions, including how the allocations scheme applies to an application. This is to ensure the Council’s decisions are transparent.By training or other means, remind officers of the Council’s duty to offer suitable temporary accommodation when it accepts the main housing duty.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 011 687)

    Category: Housing Date: 23-Jun-2024

    Summary

    When Mr B and his family were homeless, the Council failed to provide suitable accommodation. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for over 26 weeks, 20 weeks over the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with dependent children. The Council has agreed to our recommendation to make a payment to Mr B to remedy his family’s injustice. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to relevant officers to ensure they are properly considering relevant matters when carrying out homelessness assessments, in accordance with the Homelessness Code of Guidance, and that they are completing personalised housing plans appropriately.The Council has agreed to change its letter template to ensure that when it places a family with dependent children in bed and breakfast accommodation under the interim or main housing duty, it confirms that the Homelessness Code of Guidance states this should be limited to no more than six weeks.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 011 099)

    Category: Housing Date: 25-Sep-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s decision to suspend him from the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and that it failed to properly investigate safeguarding concerns he raised about the family he sponsored. There was no fault in the way the Council decided to suspend Mr X from the scheme or in the way it investigated the safeguarding concerns he raised. It was at fault for the delay in investigating the concerns raised about Mr X, and in not communicating with him about this, or about the decision to suspend him from the scheme, earlier. It has agreed to apologise to Mr X and review its procedures.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that allegations made concerning a sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine scheme are investigated promptly and the sponsor is made aware as soon as possible of any suspension and the outcome of the investigation.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 010 903)

    Category: Education Date: 22-Apr-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complains the Council has not dealt properly with her son Y’s Special Educational Needs (SEN). The Council did not hold an annual review properly and delayed paying invoices. Ms X had to spend time and trouble chasing payments. The Council should apologise and pay Ms X £100 for time and trouble and review its invoicing systems/processes.

    Service improvements

    Review its invoicing systems and processes to ensure that submitted invoices are recorded on an accurate date and approved in sufficient time to enable them to actually be paid in the required timeframe.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 010 854)

    Category: Housing Date: 30-Jul-2024

    Summary

    The Council failed to provide suitable accommodation when Miss B and her family were homeless. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 32 weeks, 26 weeks over the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with dependent children. Then, when it provided self-contained accommodation, it failed to ensure there was heating and hot water before she moved in. The Council has agreed to make service improvements and to make a payment to Miss B to remedy her family’s injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide evidence to show that it has updated its letter templates to include and make clear the right to request a review of the suitability of the accommodation.The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure housing officers do not leave homeless applicants in temporary accommodation before they are satisfied that it is in a suitable condition, with functioning heating and hot water.The Council has agreed to change its letter template to ensure that when it places a family with dependent children in bed and breakfast accommodation under the interim or main housing duty, it confirms that the Homelessness Code of Guidance states this should be limited to no more than six weeks.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 010 362)

    Category: Housing Date: 09-Apr-2024

    Summary

    There was fault the Council did not consider whether a property was reasonable for a tenant to remain in occupation, during the period Mr X was seeking possession of the property. That fault caused Mr X an injustice. The Council has agreed to carry out my recommendations to remedy that injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council was at fault in the way it considered whether accomodation was reasonable for a tenant to remain in after a landlord started possession proceedings. The Council have agreed to remind its staff about the relevant sections of the homelessness code of guidance.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 009 085)

    Category: Education Date: 02-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council failed to provide alternative education after her son, Y, became too ill to attend school. We have concluded our investigation having made a finding of fault. Although we found Y’s absence did not trigger the Council’s section 19 duty to provide alternative education, we found that it failed to review Y’s circumstances when he enrolled at a new school in September 2022. There was a missed opportunity by the Council to review the matter and contribute to any forward planning and further support. The Council has agreed to our recommendations.

    Service improvements

    The Council should review its alternative education policy alongside our published guidance ‘Out of school, out of sight?’ July 2022. It should consider the recommendations we made, specifically that around reviewing and amending plans as necessary, and how it can incorporate these recommendations into its policy.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 002 398)

    Category: Education Date: 23-Apr-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complains the Council failed to make sufficient education provision for Y. The Council is at fault as it failed to consider if it had a duty to provide alternative education provision for Y and record that decision. But this fault did not cause injustice to Y. The Council is also at fault as it delayed in progressing arrangements for mentoring support for Y and delayed in dealing with Miss X’s complaint which caused disadvantage to Y and distress to Miss X. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss X and Y and to make a symbolic payment of £300 to Y to acknowledge the injustice caused to him.

    Service improvements

    By reviewing its procedures or other means, ensure it considers whether education provision is reasonably accessible in the event a child is not attending school full time or at all for ‘other’ reasons and keeps a record of this decision.

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