Case Ref: 25 001 769 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review why the failure to respond and act on her October 2024 request happened and act to ensure this cannot be repeated on future cases.
• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to keep section 19 and section 42 duties under review during the life time of a case.
• The Council agreed to ensure future annual reviews are logged promptly to allow case workers to process amendments to Education, Health and Care plans within statutory timescales.
• The Council agreed to review why the statutory timescales were not met and prepare an Action Plan showing how it can meet them on future cases.
• The Council agreed to review why the update agreed at stage 2 did not happen and act to ensure what is agreed during the complaints process on future cases is carried out.The Council also agreed to give an update on the actions it said it took has had and whether it needs to take further action to see improvements.

Case Ref: 24 023 329 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind relevant officers that children attending alternative provision do not need Education, Health and Care Plans in order to be eligible for free school transport. The officers should instead consider if, taking into account the nature of the walk, the child could walk to their educational setting.

Case Ref: 24 021 792 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council will continue to review with the current management the concerns about adherence to SALT guidance for residents and how training can be improved in that respect. That should include knowledge about positioning. The Council will provide details to the LGSCO office.

Case Ref: 24 020 096 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to provide the Ombudsman with an update on its action plan to improve its Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) service, including:recruitment of SEND staff;the implementation of the new case management system;timescales for introducing a portal environment for casework; what improvements it has implemented to improve its consultation process with schools; andthe actions it is taking to reduce the significant backlog with the Council’s post assessment panel.

Case Ref: 24 018 250 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council agreed to ensure it has processes in place to monitor and review the progress of children on part-time timetables who have final EHC plans.
• The Council agreed to review why the delays with the annual review and emergency reviewprocess happened and act to ensure these failures cannot be repeated on futurecases.
• The Council agreed to produce an action plan showing how it will meet statutory timescalesin the future for annual and emergency reviews.
• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to communicate with parents whohave concerns for their children who are experiencing problems attendingschool.

Case Ref: 24 018 134 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide us with a copy of the Special Education Needs service improvement plan to be implemented from September 2025.

Case Ref: 24 016 966 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide an update on the its staff training for the annual review and personal budget process for its staff, which it agreed to in its complaint’s responses.

Case Ref: 24 016 850 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• Remind relevant Council officers of the importance of carrying out financial assessments at the same time as the care plan is being prepared.
• Remind the Agency of its duty to review the care plan regularly and its duty to inform any relevant parties if care is not being provided as set out in the care plan.

Case Ref: 24 015 141 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide evidence of increased staffing and resource allocation to ensure there is sufficient capacity to manage the increased demand for Education, Health and Care Plans within statutory timeframes.
• Provide evidence of enhanced monitoring and accountability to track the progress of Education, Health and Care Plans from start to finish.

Case Ref: 24 014 900 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind staff to follow its complaints procedure when responding to complaints received at all stages so that its responses are not delayed.
• The Council will increase its staffing to ensure there is sufficient capacity to manage the increased demand for Education, Health and Care Plans and associated communication. This also includes the allocation of casework officers to manage transfer cases.
• The Council will introduce a robust monitoring system to track the progress of cases, particularly if a placement is at risk of breaking down.
• The Council will remind staff to follow the correct procedure when a child with an Education, Health and Care Plan transfers to its area.