Case Ref: 23 018 404 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Consider what steps it could take to ensure parents are kept updated about any delays completing an Education, Health and Care needs assessment and delays around getting an Educational Psychologist assessment.

Case Ref: 23 017 745 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will send a reminder to all relevant staff about the importance of clear documentation and communication in support plans and of ensuring that when activities are included in the EHC Plan that the Council is clear they are meeting an identified need.

Case Ref: 23 017 341 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Adoption

• The Council agreed to deliver briefings to social workers in its children in care service clarifying its policy and expectations when a child being adopted has welfare benefits in payment that need to transfer to the adopted parents; and when they have a personal education plan that must transfer to a new school or local authority area. This is to avoid a repeat of the confusion found during this investigation over both these matters.
• The Council agreed to review the support services it offers to adoptive parents in the time between a child moving into their care and an Adoption Order being made. It agreed a need for a clear procedure to show who was responsible for considering requests for services from adoptive parents and what services it may offer, including mental health support for the child or parents. It also agreed to consider what further training or support its social workers may need if faced with such requests. This is to avoid a repeat of fault found, where adoptive parents asked for and needed support, but the Council failed to respond in good time or provide adequate support until the Adoption Order was made.

Case Ref: 23 015 907 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to:-a) review how officers respond to complaints to ensure they respond to all parts of the complaint;
• b) remind staff of the importance of providing updates; and
• c) remind staff about the importance of creating out of office alerts.

Case Ref: 23 015 646 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

• The Council will remind inspectors they should check applications against the criteria in the policy and ensure they check the measurements.

Case Ref: 23 014 631 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind complaints staff they should consider whether to make a remedy offer to a complainant when they uphold a complaint.

Case Ref: 23 013 625 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to carry out refresher training for its officers regarding carers assessments and how identified needs are met.

Case Ref: 23 012 821 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review how it considers requests for section 19 alternative provision education from both parents and schools. It will consider how it records its decision making. The Council will identify any improvements it needs to make to that process to ensure it properly considers and responds to the requests. It will provide the Ombudsman with a copy of a timebound action plan to make any improvements it has identified.

Case Ref: 23 012 654 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• Remind staff of the importance of considering complaints about children’s social care services via the correct process.

Case Ref: 23 012 445 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling.
• Remind relevant staff of the importance of the Council’s duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments where necessary.