Case Ref: 25 005 117 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• Ensure all relevant staff understand the Council’s duty to carry out financial assessments and send out invoices in a timely manner. It will provide training or guidance as needed.

Case Ref: 25 004 361 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transport

• The Council has agreed to, using this case as an example, remind relevant Adult Social Care Staff of the need to:properly record discretionary decisions, including the reasons for them;clearly explain the consequences when families decline a proposed service; anddistinguish between a service user’s eligible needs and a carer’s support needs, in line with the Care Act 2014.

Case Ref: 24 021 099 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council agreed to review how it monitors cases and create an action plan to alert staff when a review of an individual’s care plan is required (both at six to eight weeks after a new plan, and annually).
• The Council also agreed to remind staff to update the appropriate systems to ensure invoices are raised in a timely manner and to check this has been effective.
• The Council agreed to remind staff of the importance of good record keeping and communication.

Case Ref: 24 017 370 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of providing advice about adult social care charging when assessing needs so families can make an informed choice about care and support, to ensure the advice is properly recorded and to provide written advice about charging, for example, by sending a leaflet or a link to relevant information on its website.

Case Ref: 24 012 474 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will review its systems and procedures relating to care act assessments and involving families and advocates, to improve future practice.

Case Ref: 24 009 519 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council agreed to remind staff about the importance of communication with the individual receiving support and their family and keeping them updated throughout the assessment.
• The Council agreed to remind staff about the importance of providing a timely explanation of the financial assessment and the potential charges. Any verbal explanation should be followed in writing.

Case Ref: 24 008 210 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review why it delayed in completing an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) needs assessment and finalising the EHC Plan. It will produce a dated action plan to prevent recurrence of the same faults in future.

Case Ref: 24 007 979 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide the Ombudsman with an update as to what specific action it is taking to reduce the backlog of assessments waiting for advice from Educational Psychologists.
• Stop routinely applying the exemption where an educational institution is closed for at least four weeks. The Council should only apply this when it is relevant and the delays completing the assessment are due to it being unable to receive advice in time from the educational provider. The Council should provide evidence to the Ombudsman as to what steps it has taken to stop this exemption being routinely applied to all cases with delays.

Case Ref: 24 007 103 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• The Council has agreed to take action to ensure people in Mr X’s circumstances can self-refer for an assessment of their needs;
• work with the Handyman Service with a view to it accepting referrals from the Council without the need for the person to then prove their eligibility to use the service.

Case Ref: 24 007 054 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to ensure all social work staff are aware of the correct procedure to follow when a person goes into residential care.