Case Ref: 23 005 368 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will complete a review and determine whether any other residents have been affected in a similar way to Miss D's situation. It will decide whether they have been caused injustice such as being out of pocket and put things right if necessary. It will confirm the out of the review to the Ombudsman detailing what action it has taken.
• The Council will ensure all staff whose responsibilities may include administering, commissioning, assessing for or providing section 117 aftercare have knowledge of the relevant law, guidance and policy, as appropriate to their roles. They will provide training as necessary.
• The Council will remind all its staff involved in this case that the duty to pay for accommodation which is part of section 117 aftercare services is imposed on the Council and relevant health authority until such time they are satisfied a person can be discharged from section 117 and not simply because the status of a property may change to supported living accommodation. It will remind its staff that those entitled to section 117 aftercare accommodation should not be told to claim housing benefit as set out in their joint policy.

Case Ref: 23 010 923 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to remind its staff, through appropriate training, of the Council's non-delegable duty to secure the Special Educational Needs provision set out in Section F of a child's Education, Health and Care Plan(EHC Plan).

Case Ref: 23 008 396 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• This complaint was about a significantly disabled young woman with special educational needs who moved from a specialist school placement into supported living. The transition was too short and its impact worsened by poor communication between the Special Educational Needs and Disability department and the Adult Social Care department. The Council will review this complaint and identify what steps it should take to ensure the departments communicate effectively, particularly when a young person with an Education, Health and Care Plan is moving to an adult social care setting.

Case Ref: 23 003 607 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind staff they must issue a decision to amend, maintain or cease a child or young person's Education, Health and Care Plan after an annual review meeting.
• The Council will remind staff they must complete amendments to Education, Health and Care Plans within the timescales set out in law, guidance and by caselaw.

Case Ref: 23 003 097 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council will remind staff in the medical needs tuition team that when considering a referral for a child's tuition, the test they should apply is whether the child would receive a suitable education without the Council making arrangements.
• The Council should provide the Ombudsman with evidence it has completed the training programme for staff on the new alternative provision school referral process.
• The Council should remind staff that the recommendations they make for service improvements as part of complaint responses should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited).

Case Ref: 23 001 848 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council is already reviewing its process for carrying out Education, Health and Care plan reviews. It will provide the Ombudsman with details of that review, including the steps it is taking to ensure annual reviews are completed in line with statutory timescales.
• The Council will ensure that where officers from its Inclusion Quality team make observations about specific pupils with special educational needs, they will make a record for the child's case file.
• The Council's Special Educational Needs and Disability training manager will ensure learning from the case is included in the Council's rolling training programme, and particularly that the Council either arranges a review or ensures by some other means that it has full and up-to-date information about a child's needs before considering a change of placement request or consulting with alternative schools.

Case Ref: 22 017 787 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Other

• The Council will check the heat pump in the Market and confirm it is working correctly and undertake any necessary remedial works if it is found to be defective.
• The Council will monitor the temperature in the Market for a period of six weeks to confirm it meets the guidance set out in the Approved Code of Practice on the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.
• The Council will review if any immediate action is required to improve the Market’s temperature including the maintenance of the air curtains, installation of thermometers, temporary heating fans and its remote temperature management system.

Case Ref: 22 014 684 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its procedures to improve timeliness for Education Health and Care plan annual reviews and provide the Ombudsman with an action plan of any key actions it has taken or intends to take.

Case Ref: 22 014 515 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Highway repair and maintenance

• The Council agreed to remind complaint officers of the need to ensure new reports raised during the complaints procedure are referred promptly through to the appropriate department.

Case Ref: 22 013 706 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Share learning from this decision with staff to ensure they are aware of the importance of issuing an EHC Plan within the required timescale following a SEND Tribunal order, and arranging the provision to start from the date the plan is issued.