Bracknell Forest Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
92% Complaints upheld by Bracknell Forest Council
92% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 79% in similar authorities.
12 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Bracknell Forest Council's population, this is
9.5 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.6 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 13 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
100% of cases were successfully implemented by Bracknell Forest Council
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 12 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
8% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by Bracknell Forest Council
In 8% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 13% in similar authorities.
1 satisfactory remedy decision
Statistics are based on a total of 12 upheld decisions for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
View all satisfactory remedy decisions
Annual letters
We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.
Reports ?Find out more about reports
In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following reports against Bracknell Forest Council
No reports published
Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements
Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.
Case reference: 23 015 717
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council has explained it has recently restructured the SEND team and employed more staff to cope with increasing demands. The Council should provide the Ombudsman with a brief summary of action taken far to improve its service going forwards.
Case reference: 23 007 019
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council must remind staff to clearly set out decision letters along with any appeal rights when telling parents or carers of the outcome of a decision not to assess, reassess, issue or amend an Education, Health and Care Plan as set out in the SEN Regulations 2014.
Case reference: 23 006 255
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- The Council has agreed to review, and if needed amend, the policy/mechanism it has in place for how schools inform it of the details of pupils who fail to attend school regularly, or have missed ten school days or more, as outlined in the statutory guidance, to ensure it is receiving timely and suitable information about children out of education from schools.
Case reference: 22 018 140
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- The Council agreed to review its policies and procedures for making decisions about alternative educational provision under section 19 of the Education Act. It should ensure its procedures follow the appropriate law and statutory guidance, that it seeks relevant information on which to base its decisions and that it has a suitable process for monitoring the quality of decisions made under these duties; and arrange appropriate training for education and Special Educational Needs staff on the Council’s updated policy and procedures. This training should include the Ombudsman’s Out of Sight focus report and the findings of this investigation.
- The Council agreed to review its arrangements for managing complaints about its Special Educational Needs service. This should include a plan for how the Council will ensure the service is appropriately staffed to allow the Council to respond to complaints in line with its published complaint’s procedure.
Case reference: 22 015 918
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council should: a) Provide us with its plan to improve compliance with the EHC plan timescales; andb) Advise the outcome of the review of its processes regarding 'Education other than at school ' payment when the EHCP and provision are unchanged
Case reference: 22 013 387
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- 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.
Case reference: 22 013 300
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- 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.
Case reference: 22 007 716
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Other
- 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.
Case reference: 22 007 045
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- 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.
Case reference: 22 003 230
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- 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.
Last updated: 4 April 2015