Service improvements

Bracknell Forest Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2027

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 11 - 18 of 18 cases with service improvements

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

  • Bracknell Forest Council (22 013 387)

    Category: Education Date: 05-Oct-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about the Council not delivering specialist services outlined in her daughter’s Education, Health and Care Plan since June 2021. We found fault because the Council failed to deliver suitable education. Mrs X has suffered avoidable frustration and distress in getting the issues resolved and her daughter missed some of the education she should have received. To remedy the injustice caused by these faults, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mrs X and provide guidance to relevant officers.

    Service improvements

    The Council will share the Ombudsman’s guidance “Out of school, out of sight” with those officers dealing with Special Educational Needs cases. This will help to ensure officers are clear on the Council’s duties to organise alternative education provision under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 and to review the education of those on a part-time timetable.The Council will remind officers dealing with Education, Health and Care Plan paperwork of the need for accuracy when sending out decision letters. This will help to ensure parents and carers are clear on where they stand and what options are open to them after any decisions have been made.The Council will remind relevant Special Educational Needs team officers of the need to communicate in a timely manner. This will help to ensure that parents and carers are adequately aware of progress being made on their cases.The Council will remind officers dealing with Special Educational Needs complaints of the need to handle these in line with the Council’s published policy and timescales. The Council will also share the Ombudsman’s guidance on effective complaint handling for local authorities with the officers. This will help to ensure that complaints are dealt with in a timely and effective manner.The Council will make it clear to officers dealing with complaints about delivery of educational provision set out in Section F of an Education, Health and Care Plan, that these can be considered under the Council’s complaints procedure. This will help to ensure clarity for those complaining. It will also help to ensure they are not given the incorrect information on how to complain about this.

  • Bracknell Forest Council (22 013 300)

    Category: Education Date: 18-Oct-2023

    Summary

    Miss X complains the Council did not properly assess her child during the EHCP process and failed to ensure the provision in the EHCP was delivered. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for failing to suitably consider its duty to alternative provision for Child Y. The Council has agreed to pay a financial remedy for the lost education.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review how it considers and records whether it has an alternative provision duty where it has been notified that children are out of school long term.

  • Bracknell Forest Council (22 007 716)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 24-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council failed to sufficiently safeguard his adult son, Mr Z, from harm caused by his housemate in supported living accommodation. The Council was not at fault for moving the two men into the accommodation initially, nor for the way it dealt with the safeguarding concerns. However the Council failed to consult properly in its best interests decision making regarding Mr Z and his living situation. This has caused uncertainty to Mr X and his son. The Council also failed to respond properly to Mr X’s complaint. This caused Mr X frustration and time and trouble. We have recommended the Council apologise, pay Mr X £150 and carry out a fresh mental capacity and best interests assessment into Mr Z’s living situation.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind all staff that deal with mental capacity assessments and best interests decision making, that the Mental Capacity Act clearly sets out which people should be consulted in capacity assessments on the person’s behalf and that working for a care organisation in a paid capacity does not automatically prohibit a carer from being consulted due to ‘conflict of interest’.The Council has agreed to remind its complaint handling staff that it is important to inform the complainant in the Council’s complaint responses of any right they have to escalate that complaint.The Council has agreed to review its systems and put in place measures to prevent complaints being moved into spam folders, or to have these folders checked more routinely for complaints sent there in error.

  • Bracknell Forest Council (22 007 045)

    Category: Education Date: 14-May-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council has not provided education for his daughter, Y, since she has been unable to attend school from January 2022. He also complained Y has not had the full provision set out in her Education, Health and care plan (EHCP) and the Council has not adhered to statutory timescales about the EHCP and annual review documentation. Mr X also says the communication with the Council throughout this matter has been poor. Mr X says Y has missed education, Occupational therapy and Speech and Language Therapy provision and the family have been put under considerable stress. The Council did not provide education until appeal rights to the tribunal were engaged, did not provide documentation after annual reviews within the statutory timescales and communication was difficult. Mr X and Y suffered distress and Mr X has been put to time and trouble to complain. The Council should apologise to Mr X and Y, make a financial payment on top of the amount identified in its complaint response, ensure provision is in place for Y and update its policies.

    Service improvements

    Issue a briefing to ensure staff are aware of the Councils statutory obligation and those of the school as detailed in the Education Act 1996 to ensure a child receives a suitable education if they are unable to attend school.Remind all relevant staff of the need to ensure all complaints complete the complaint process fully and requests for escalation to the next stage of the process are actioned 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.Review its policies and procedures to ensure the Council retains oversight and responsibility for its duties to children unable to attend school.

  • Bracknell Forest Council (22 003 230)

    Category: Education Date: 09-Dec-2022

    Summary

    The complainant (Mrs X) said the Council’s failed to follow due process when reviewing her son’s (Y) Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). She also said the Council failed to provide Y with full-time education, consistently deliver special educational provisions (SEP) identified in his EHCP, make payments to Y’s tutors as agreed and effectively communicate with the parents. I found fault with all aspects of Mrs X’s complaint. The Council agreed to pay the outstanding invoices for the ABA tutoring, continue funding his ABA tutoring until Mrs X’s appeal is resolved by the Tribunal and make a distress payment for Mrs X. It also agreed to complete some service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will reviewits Annual Review processes to ensure: a) sending a notification of the Council’s position within four weeksfrom the Annual Review meeting, and b) sending the final amended EHCP not later than eight weeks from thedate of sending the child’s parents/young person proposed amendments are part of the process and all front-line staff are aware of this.The Council will provide its SEN case officers and managers with the training on SEN Personal Budget. The Council should provide us with evidence it has complied with the above actions.

  • Bracknell Forest Council (21 011 617)

    Category: Education Date: 10-Feb-2022

    Summary

    The complainant said the Council significantly delayed issuing her son’s Educational and Health Care Plan (EHCP) and failed to communicate with her throughout the process. The Council has accepted it was at fault and has agreed to remedy the injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council will provide evidence of regular monitoring of its EHCP timescales - within the next four weeksThe Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of issuing EHC plans within the timescales set out in the SEN code of practice - within the next four weeks

  • Bracknell Forest Council (21 010 249)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 14-Mar-2022

    Summary

    The complainant said the Council failed to investigate a noise nuisance correctly which caused her distress. She said the noise from her neighbour’s flat affected her health. She also complained about the way the Council dealt with her complaint. We found fault only with the way the Council handled this complaint. We have made recommendations.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure all its senior officers handling Environmental Health complaints are trained or re-trained in the complaint handling. This should be achieved within four weeks of the final decision by providing them with the Council's complaints policy and the Ombudsman's 'Effective Complaint Handling for local authorities' guide.

  • Bracknell Forest Council (21 003 422)

    Category: Planning Date: 26-Jan-2022

    Summary

    Mr C said the Council was at fault for underestimating the impact on his property of an extension on his neighbour’s house. He also said it wrongly accepted his neighbour’s application to amend a planning application using the wrong legislation. The Council was at fault for accepting an application to amend the plans using the wrong legislation. This caused Mr C injustice as he was put to time and trouble researching the law. However, the Council was not at fault for its consideration of the impact of the extension. The Council has agreed to pay Mr C a sum in recognition of the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council advised a planning applicant to amend the plans for a planning application using s.73 of the Town and Country Planning Act. 1990 This was not the correct procedure. A new planning application should have been made. The Council has agreed to ensure that all planning officers are aware of limitations to the use of s.73 and to write to the Ombudsman.

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