Service improvements

Cheshire East 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 - 20 of 60 cases with service improvements

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

  • Cheshire East Council (24 017 188)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 08-Jul-2025

    Summary

    The Council was not at fault for the way it responded to Mrs X’s reports of a safeguarding risk to her children. It took short-term action to reduce the risk and then carried out an assessment to put long-term support in place for Mrs X’s family. The Council failed to follow its complaint procedure, causing Mrs X uncertainty and frustration. The Council has agreed to apologise and take steps to ensure it follows its complaint procedure in future.

    Service improvements

    The Council failed to follow its complaint procedure. The Council has agreed to review why this happened and take steps to ensure staff follow the procedure in future.

  • Cheshire East Council (24 017 097)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 09-Sep-2025

    Summary

    There was fault in the way the Agency provided care to Mrs D and in its record keeping. The Council has agreed to apologise, provide a financial remedy and carry out a service improvement.

    Service improvements

    Ask the Agency to remind staff of the regulations and policies regarding record keeping in care provision and medication.

  • Cheshire East Council (24 016 532)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 12-Nov-2025

    Summary

    Ms Y complained on behalf of Miss X that the personal budget in her care plan did not meet her care and support needs. We find the Council at fault for not following the statutory guidance when it completed its assessment and care plan for Miss X, and for inadequate complaint handling. This caused significant distress and uncertainty. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind relevant officers of the Council’s duties including: clearly recording eligible needs, identifying any eligible needs being met by a carer, recording the number of hours of care, reviewing care plans in line with the statutory guidance.

  • Cheshire East Council (24 016 531)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 10-Jul-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council’s children’s services department did not effectively communicate with her when her child was placed into voluntary care arranged by the Council. We found fault because the Council failed to consider her complaint under the children’s statutory complaints procedure. This caused Miss X avoidable distress and frustration. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to consider Miss X’s concerns through the statutory procedure and apologise for failing to do this originally. It has also agreed to make a payment to her and issue guidance to staff.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind relevant complaint handling staff of the guidance linked to the children's statutory complaints procedure (The Children Act 1989) 'Getting the Best from Complaints' particularly around 'who may complain' and 'what may be complained about'. This will help to ensure Council staff are fully aware of the statutory procedure and how this differs from its corporate complaints process.The Council has agreed to share the Ombudsman's good practice guidance on the children's statutory complaints procedure (The Children Act 1989) with relevant staff. This will help to ensure staff understand when the statutory procedure should be used to handle children's services complaints, rather than the corporate complaint process.

  • Cheshire East Council (24 011 853)

    Category: Education Date: 26-May-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council failed to adequately facilitate an independent review panel meeting regarding a permanent exclusion from school. She also complained the Council failed to produce adequate minutes of the meeting. Ms X said the Council’s actions negatively affected the family’s mental health. We found fault by the Council. The Council has agreed to provide an apology, a financial remedy and a copy of the notes taken at the meeting.

    Service improvements

    Remind staff of the need to adhere to the statutory guidance regarding independent review panel hearings; specifically that the minutes of the meeting should name all attendees, and that the clerk should make reasonable efforts to send relevant paperwork to all parties at least five school days prior to the review.

  • Cheshire East Council (24 010 821)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 14-Apr-2025

    Summary

    Mr Y complained about the Council’s delay in telling his late mother, Mrs Z, about her care charges and that it calculated her charges incorrectly. The Council was at fault for significant delay. There was no fault in the way it calculated the care charges. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr Y and make a payment to acknowledge the frustration and uncertainty he was caused. It has also agreed to review the way its finance and social work teams communicate to prevent similar delays in future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review its processes to ensure better communication and follow up between social workers and its finance team where it appears that financial assessments may be necessary and are not showing as completed for council funded care and support.

  • Cheshire East Council (24 008 973)

    Category: Education Date: 24-Apr-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to secure the special educational provision her in daughter, W’s, Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan. The Council was at fault. To remedy their injustice, the Council will apologise to Mrs X and pay her £1400. It will arrange speech and language therapy provision for W. Lastly, the Council will review why it delayed reassessing W’s needs for her EHC Plan and issue a staff reminder.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review why it did not begin seeking information for the child's Education, Health and Care Plan until May 2024, despite agreeing to the reassessment in March 2024. The Council should identify what steps it should take to make sure such delays do not occur again. It should send the Ombudsman details of those steps.The Council will remind staff that when they commission support from a specialist such as a speech and language therapist, they must ensure the package they commission is sufficient to deliver the relevant special educational provision in the child or young person's Education, Health and Care Plan.

  • Cheshire East Council (23 021 149)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 22-Apr-2025

    Summary

    There was fault in the way the Council carried out a safeguarding enquiry into concerns about a care home. This meant there is uncertainty of what would have happened if the enquiry had been carried out differently. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay a symbolic financial remedy and review its practice.

    Service improvements

    •Review how it responds to safeguarding referrals to ensure that referrals are not missed.

  • Cheshire East Council (23 016 429)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Jul-2025

    Summary

    Mrs B complained that the Council failed to take appropriate action to safeguard and promote the welfare of her children. We find there were delays in care planning which likely delayed Mrs B from having unsupervised contact with her children. The Council also failed to respond to correspondence sent on behalf of Mrs B. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Mrs B. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to amend its working procedures to ensure care plans are properly updated in accordance with the statutory process, and that section 47 outcomes are properly followed up with families.The Council has agreed to consider how it can minimise changes in social workers for looked after children.The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the importance of including all contact and correspondence in the case records, and of responding within a reasonable timeframe.

  • Cheshire East Council (24 006 928)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 06-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide a personal assistant to support her disabled child between February-November 2024. She also complained the Council refused her request for residential respite care. The Council was at fault for failing to provide a personal assistant for a period of nine months. However, the Council assessed Mrs X’s request for residential care in line with the relevant law and guidance without fault. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Mrs X to recognise the distress, frustration and uncertainty caused by the lack of support that was in place for her child between February-November 2024.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to create an action plan explaining how the Council is intending to increase its pool of personal assistants to help families in need.

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