Bracknell Forest Council (24 017 608)

Statement Upheld Safeguarding 28-May-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to discharge its legal duties towards him. We upheld part of Mr X’s complaint. There was no requirement for the Council to complete safeguarding enquiries and so there was no fault saying it would not progress a safeguarding investigation. However, a social care assessment should have been completed when Mr X said he was struggling with daily activities because of pain. The complaint response did not identify this and so was inadequate. Mr X suffered avoidable distress. The Council will issue an apology, make a symbolic payment and complete the social care assessment already started.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 010 644)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 26-Jun-2025

Summary: Miss X complained that her child who has an Education, Health and Care Plan has been without a special school place or suitable fulltime alternative education for two years. There was fault causing loss of education over a two-year period and an adverse impact on the parent carer who has been unable to work. The Council will apologise, continue efforts to find a school place, make a remedy payment and carry out service improvements.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 002 890)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 04-Aug-2025

Summary: The Council took too long to issue an Education, Health and Care Plan for Mrs X’s daughter following an annual review in February 2024. She also complained her daughter was not provided with a suitable education during the period she was unable to attend school from November 2023. We found no fault. We found there were faults with the Council’s handling of the school phase transfer review, record keeping and failure to consult with Mrs X’s preferred school. The Council agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mrs X and S and review progress on improving its practice.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 005 661)

Statement Upheld Other 04-Aug-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s handling of her daughter, S’s, Education, Health and Care Plan, school attendance and communication with her about it. We found the Council has already taken appropriate action for its poor communication with Mrs X between November 2023 and January 2024. We found no other fault.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 016 166)

Statement Upheld School transport 07-Aug-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to follow government guidance when deciding the route Y’s school transport should take. We find the Council at fault for failing to evidence its decision-making process and for providing incorrect information, creating uncertainty for Mr X. The Council should apologise, make a symbolic payment to recognise the injustice, and act to prevent recurrence.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 013 572)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 14-Aug-2025

Summary: Ms X complained the Council did not properly handle her son Y’s Education Health and Care Plan. She said the Council failed to provide a Personal Budget when it issued the plan, did not secure educational provision for Y, and had poor communication and complaint handling. We find the Council at fault in these areas which caused distress and missed educational provision. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 022 484)

Statement Upheld Allocations 08-Sep-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council considered Mr X’s application for medical priority on the housing register. The Council has agreed to resolve the complaint by providing a proportionate remedy for Mr X’s injustice.

Bracknell Forest Council (25 006 383)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 22-Oct-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about how the Council dealt with her homelessness application. The Council has already recognised there were failings in how it considered her disclosures about domestic abuse. It has apologised and agreed to complete staff training. Further investigation by the Ombudsman would not lead to a different outcome.

Bracknell Forest Council (24 021 624)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 19-Dec-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s handling of her request for a parent carers assessment, the children’s statutory complaints process, and how it communicated with her. Overall, we agreed with the Council’s stage two findings. However, the remedy proposed was not adequate to acknowledge the impact its delays had on her, and it did not consider the significantly delayed complaints handling. The Council will apologise, make a symbolic payment, and carry out service improvements recommendations.