Case Ref: 22 000 802 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to:provide the Ombudsman with evidence of the Council’s:a) streamlined allocation referral process(es) for service users’ care needs assessment requestsb) review of the roles and responsibilities of teams on care needs request allocation referrals and assessment c) review of the joint working practices between teams to ensure improved communications and to ensure appropriate outcomes are achieved for service users in a timely manner
• Provide the Ombudsman with an explanation and/or evidence of how the Council will monitor its service improvements (a, b and c listed above) to ensure the faults experienced by Mrs X and Mr Y do not reoccur.

Case Ref: 22 000 299 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Share a copy of our decision with relevant staff to highlight the faults found in this case.
• Remind staff involved in finding educational placements to consider directing admittance when a child meets the criteria for an ‘excepted pupil’.
• Consider introducing measures to check amendments to EHC plans made following SEND Tribunals fully and properly reflect the orders.

Case Ref: 21 018 302 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to carry out training to ensure relevant officers deciding applications and reviews are aware of the need to give applicants full reasons for their decisions.

Case Ref: 21 012 774 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transition from childrens services

• The Council agreed to remind relevant staff members to consider requests for staying put arrangements for foster children in line with the statutory guidance and its own policy.
• The Council agreed to review all staying put arrangements for foster children it has declined in the last 12 months to ensure it considered them in line with the statutory guidance and its own policy.

Case Ref: 21 010 493 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• Remind officers dealing with complaints that the Council is one organisation and so should pass information itself to relevant departments rather than expect the complainant to do this.

Case Ref: 21 000 791 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Update its procedures to ensure that, where possible, it issues all final amended EHCP’s within the statutory timescales, so that parents’ appeal rights are available

Case Ref: 21 004 904 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• The Council agreed to remind its planning enforcement officers of the need to made decisions based on impartial evidence and critically evaluate assurances given by developers who have an interest in planning enforcement investigations.

Case Ref: 21 004 656 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind its staff about the process and statutory timescales for amending EHC Plans following an annual review.
• The Council will remind its Send and Finance Team about the importance of ensuring payments of personal budgets for special educational needs are paid to parents without delay, and before the provision is due to start.
• The Council will share any outcomes of its intended meeting between its SEND Team and its councillor.

Case Ref: 21 004 622 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council agreed to review how it manages children who are out of education for reasons other than exclusion and illness. The review should include a reminder to staff that where the Council cannot reintegrate a child back into school or decides not to take legal action for non-attendance then it has a duty to provide alternative provision.

Case Ref: 21 001 765 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Friends and family carers

• The Council has agreed to remind officers of the criteria under which a complaint can be referred to the Ombudsman without completing stage three.