Service improvements

Birmingham City 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 10 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 (25 002 123)

    Category: Education Date: 26-Jan-2026

    Summary

    Miss X complains the Council has not dealt properly with her son Y’s education. The Council is at fault because it did not comply with statutory timescales when it produced Y’s Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan. Miss X suffered a delay to receiving her right of appeal and the delay caused Y to miss Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Miss X and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    • Produce an action plan to demonstrate how the council will meet statutory timescales for needs assessments and issuing EHC Plans.

  • Birmingham City Council (25 001 135)

    Category: Education Date: 09-Jan-2026

    Summary

    There was fault in the way the Council decided to offer a bus pass as its free home to school transport offer for a journey over 3 miles to an ‘eligible’ pupil. It failed to assess whether the pupil, who has special educational needs, could manage the journey independently and wrongly put responsibility on the parent to accompany the child. This caused distress, inconvenience and financial loss to the family. The Council has agreed to apologise, reimburse taxi costs and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will revisit its policy, guidance and training for officers to ensure that it is clear to all relevant officers, panel members and members of the public:• There is no legal expectation that parents accompany children ‘eligible’ on the grounds of distance or low income. Accompaniment is only a consideration where a previously unsafe route within statutory walking distance can be made safe if an adult accompanies the child. • The onus is on the council to assess the individual child’s circumstances, and this may involve seeking evidence from professionals or carrying out a risk assessment and this applies irrespective of whether a pupil has an EHC Plan.The Council will ensure it provides written transport decisions that clearly sets out the Council’s rationale.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 017 769)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Oct-2025

    Summary

    There was fault and delay by the Council in implementing a Tribunal decision and securing provision in an Education, Health and Care Plan. As a result, a child missed out on provision for many months. The Council has agreed to apologise, make symbolic payments and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure it has robust procedures to check provision is secured after a Tribunal decision within the time limit.The Council will keep clear records of its decisions following Tribunal recommendations in ‘extended appeals’ and ensure it provides detailed reasons in writing to the family within five weeks of the recommendation.Children’s social care assessments and care plans will be completed in a timely way with provision put in place as soon as possible.The Council will review how it manages complex EOTAS packages to ensure provision is co-ordinated and monitored as set out in the Plan by a suitably experienced officer.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 014 814)

    Category: Education Date: 18-May-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council has wrongly refused to provide travel assistance for her son. We found the Council failed to carry out the appeals properly or keep clear records of the panels’ decisions. This fault has caused Mrs X distress and uncertainty that her application has been properly considered. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X, arrange a fresh appeal panel and take action to improve its service.

    Service improvements

    •Remind those dealing with school transport cases of the need to ensure parents/ carers are given the opportunity to attend appeal panel hearings should they wish to.•Advise those dealing with transport appeals of the need to ensure the panel is quorate and of the need to keep clear records of the panel decision and reasons.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 013 274)

    Category: Education Date: 06-Aug-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complained, on behalf of Mr Y, that the Council delayed completing the annual review of Mr Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan and delayed providing the provision in his post Tribunal Education, Health and Care Plan. This meant Mr Y missed out on getting provision he should have received. Ms X also complained about the Council’s complaint handling. We found the Council at fault for the time it took to issue a final Education, Health and Care Plan for Mr Y after the Tribunal and for its complaint handling. To remedy the injustice caused the Council agreed to apologise, make a payment to Ms X and Mr Y and carry out a service improvement.

    Service improvements

    The Council should consider why, in this case it took so long to issue a final Education, Heath and Care Plan after the Tribunal’s decision and what it can do to ensure it complies with orders, within the relevant timescales, from the SEND Tribunal. The Council should report back to the Ombudsman with the changes and improvements it intends to make to its service.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 013 203)

    Category: Education Date: 08-Jul-2025

    Summary

    The Council was at fault in how it decided whether to arrange alternative education provision for Mrs X’s child, W. This caused Mrs X frustration, uncertainty and frustration and meant W missed out on two terms of provision. To remedy their injustice, the Council will pay Mrs X a total of £1350 and apologise to her. It will also issue a reminder and clarification to staff so the fault does not happen again.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind officers they must consider whether the Council should arrange alternative provision for a child not in full-time education whenever they receive significant new information. They must keep a record of that consideration as without it, the Ombudsman may not be persuaded the Council properly considered whether it owes the child the duty to arrange alternative provision.The Council will clarify to officers that the Department for Education guidance on alternative education provision says councils should arrange provision when it is clear a child will be out of school on health grounds for 15 days, consecutively or cumulatively, over a school year.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 010 957)

    Category: Education Date: 01-May-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained that the Council failed to make alternative education provision for her child and delayed in issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan for her. The Council was at fault as it did not consider if it had a duty to provide alternative education provision when Y struggled to attend school from September 2023, delayed in issuing Y’s final Education, Health and Care Plan and delayed in securing the speech and language therapy provision in the Plan. These faults caused distress and uncertainty to Mrs X and disadvantaged Y. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by apologising to Mrs X and making a symbolic payment of £1100 to acknowledge the distress caused to her and the disadvantage caused to Y.

    Service improvements

    Draw up an action plan, with timescales, setting out the action the Council will take to ensure it carries out the Education, Health and Care Plan process in accordance with the statutory timescales. This is to ensure the Council issues final Education, Health and Care Plans within the statutory timescales.By training or other means, remind officers of the Council’s duty to secure the special educational needs provision set out in an Education, Health and Care Plan from the date the final Plan is issued. This is to ensure the delays in delivering provision that occurred in Y’s case do not recur.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 010 085)

    Category: Education Date: 11-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his son, Y’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan and annual reviews between 2023 and 2024. The Council was at fault. It failed to process an early annual review and then delayed issuing an amended Plan following a subsequent review. It also failed to provide sufficient oversight and delayed providing additional funding to the school after Mr X raised concerns about Y’s provision. There was also evidence of poor communication throughout. The Council agreed to make payments to Mr X to acknowledge the injustice caused to him and to recognise the impact it had on Y’s education.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review its procedures around how it considers and decides requests from parents/carers and schools for early annual reviews of Education, Health and Care Plans. The Council should consider whether it is necessary to provide guidance to schools on how they can request an early review.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 005 304)

    Category: Education Date: 29-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complains the Council’s child safeguarding investigation caused her distress. She says the Council failed to consider her concerns properly, dismissing evidence of child abuse and domestic violence from the children’s father as historical. We find fault with the Council for failing to take satisfactory notes of the children’s views for the investigation, and for a late complaint response. We have agreed an apology to Ms X and service improvements for the Council.

    Service improvements

    The Council should remind staff to note children’s responses fully or keep a record about why it was not appropriate to seek further information;Ensure all documents on an investigation are kept together so they can be retrieved if needed;Remind staff to send complaint responses as set out in the Council’s policy, or if investigation takes longer, to let the complainant know.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 016 021)

    Category: Education Date: 05-May-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to arrange school transport for her son, Y. Mrs X says this has caused her frustration and she has had to arrange her own transport for Y. I have found fault in the Councils actions. We recommend the Council issues Mrs X with an apology, pays her a financial payment and completes service improvements.

    Service improvements

    In writing, remind officers of the importance of responding to and issuing correspondence in a timely manner.

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