Case Ref: 21 000 364 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council has agreed to publish a revised version or addendum to its existing policy to its policy on charging clients with social care needs. This will give advice to officers on what action to take when an error by the Council results in a charge for carewhich the recipient will not be expecting and on what action they should take wheresomeone being charged for care may be identified as being particularlyvulnerable or distressed by its invoices.

Case Ref: 21 000 281 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council agreed to change the wording of its Education Transport Policy to make it clear that, while it normally expects school transport appeals to be made in writing, there are circumstances in which it will consider appeals by other means.

Case Ref: 21 000 206 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council has agreed to remind its care provider, ECL, of the need to complete a body map at the start of the care package and to ensure it maintains copies of records in line with regulation 17 and that it has procedures in place to retrieve records when service users have died.
• The Council has agreed to remind officers of the need to ensure they consider which next of kin to consult as part of a safeguarding investigation and to notify them of the outcome and provide guidance or training to relevant council staff of the need to investigate safeguarding enquiries in line with relevant law and guidance.
• The Council has agreed to review any local discharge planning policies and procedures to ensure they reflect the key practices and principles set out in the ‘Ready to go?’ guidance. This should ensure the following: Patients and care workers are involved in the discharge planning process to enable them to make informed decisions about their care; Staff maintain clear and accurate records, including keeping notes of any discussions with patients and their care workers; Staff robustly assess a patient’s health and social care needs as part of the discharge planning process and develop a clear care plan setting out how these needs will be met in the community. The Council should write to the Ombudsman to explain the outcome of the review and any work it will be undertaking to improve practices and procedures in the area. They should also explain how they will ensure relevant staff are familiar with these practices and procedures.

Case Ref: 20 013 640 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to share the lessons learned with its adult social care assessors.

Case Ref: 20 012 796 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council agreed to remind staff of the need to consider the individual circumstances when a request for disability related expenditure is received.
• The Council agreed to clearly record the reasons for decisions to approve or refuse disability related expenditure.

Case Ref: 20 012 711 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Direct payments

• Review how it communicates with direct payment recipients particularly when there is an investigation of the care provider to minimise distress and uncertainty.
• Share this decision with its staff.

Case Ref: 20 012 291 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the Council’s duty to secure a child’s special educational provision as set out in their EHC plan. In practice, when provisions are being delivered by a school, the Council must check and satisfy itself the school has either arranged the provision, or it is delivering the provision.

Case Ref: 20 007 476 Category: Education Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council will remind officers parents have the right of appeal to challenge decisions about the transport arrangements offered to their child, including any decision not to offer a mileage allowance, and that parents must be informed about their appeal rights.
• The Council will remind transport operators about the importance of discussing any changes to transport arrangements with parents in advance.

Case Ref: 20 006 658 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council has reviewed its policies on direct payments, including its standard agreement, and brought them into line with the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance.

Case Ref: 20 006 635 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Friends and family carers

• The Council will remind staff they must share appropriate information about the different arrangements for caring for someone else's children with potential carers.
• The Council will remind staff parental responsibility is not a requirement for an adult to make a corporate or statutory complaint on behalf of a child. The adult's interest in the child should be considered on a case by case basis.
• Many councils have information leaflets or factsheets which set out the types of care arrangements for children who are not living with their parents and the support available to their carers. The Council should check if it has a leaflet and, if it does not, it will consider whether to produce one. If it decides to do so, it will send the Ombudsman an action plan for its completion.