Case Ref: 24 000 808 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to instruct all Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) staff and staff dealing with alternative provision to ensure that case records and meeting notes - including annual review meetings - must record which organisation is responsible for carrying out any agreed actions, with respect to children and young people’s referrals for education and support.
• The Council has agreed to inform its complaint handling staff that while proactively contacting complainants to resolve complaints is welcome, this is not a replacement for providing them with a complaint response.
• The Council has agreed to look into what caused the delays in the Council making decisions and finalising Education Health and Care Plans in this case and outline what action it has taken to prevent recurrence of these delays in future.

Case Ref: 24 000 115 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council will review all the evidence sent and make a fresh reasoned decision on the request for a two-bedroom property showing it took account of all relevant evidence provided in support.
• The Council agreed to remind all relevant staff involved with the making of decisions about bedroom entitlement of the need to: i) give reasons in support of itsdecisions; and ii) show they considered all relevant evidence against the requirements of its policy.

Case Ref: 23 021 362 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its policy for handling complaints on special educational need matters and ensure the policy requires complaint investigations to consider appropriate remedies for injustice caused by any fault it upholds.
• Following a review of the relevant policy the Council will remind relevant staff to consider appropriate remedies in its complaint responses for any injustices it identifies as a result of a Council fault.

Case Ref: 23 020 604 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council will remind relevant officers to carry out wheelie bin assessment reviews within timescales outlined in its policy.

Case Ref: 23 020 576 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will:-a) review and if necessary update processes on the procedure of advising people about charges where the person they are supporting lacks capacity and they have no legal authority to deal with their finances on their behalf;
• b) remind staff by a staff circular or team meeting about the importance of recording any advice give about charges;
• c) remind staff by a staff circular or team meeting about the importance of providing information about residential care charges to people using the service or those acting on their behalf.

Case Ref: 23 019 534 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• Share lessons learnt with the Practice Assurance Group which will review and amend working practices where necessary and provide briefings to staff of any changes.

Case Ref: 23 019 223 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Within three months the Council will remind relevant staff to respond to complaints in line with the Council’s procedure;
• Within three months the Council will provide us with its plan to improve compliance with the EHC needs assessment timescales.

Case Ref: 23 018 367 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Direct payments

• The Council should carry out a review of how it supports, monitors and audits recipients of direct payments. This is to ensure all current and future recipients of direct payments are adequately monitored and audited in line with statutory guidance and to ensure similar matters such as this do not occur in the future. The resulting report should be considered by the appropriate Council committee.

Case Ref: 23 014 145 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Rights of way

• The Council will complete a review of its handling of a report of an obstruction on a public right of way. It will explain what action it will take to prevent a recurrence of the delays identified in this complaint.

Case Ref: 23 013 768 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Provide a list of alternative education providers that can be considered in the future to ensure that ‘lack of placements’ is not a reason for not delivering alternative provision.