Case Ref: 24 015 276 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council has agreed to create an action plan to address how it will improve internal processes and communication when considering its Section 19 responsibility and making the necessary arrangements to put alternative provision in place in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 24 004 646 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council will remind officers responding to complaints at stage three of the children's statutory complaints procedure that the Council can deviate from the recommendations made by the stage three panel with its reasons, but cannot overturn the stage three panel’s outcomes on the complaint.
• The Council will consider the Ombudsman's decision finding fault in how it provided care, accommodation and education to a child in its care at a relevant scrutiny committee and consider if there are any further actions the Council intends to take in relation to the child’s case or its children’s home sufficiency.
• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with a 6 and 12 month update on the progress it has made with the development of four properties as children’s homes.

Case Ref: 24 007 540 Category: Education Sub Category: School admissions

• The Council agreed to remind all clerks of the need to follow the Code in terms of ensuring: records of panel decisions show how members considered and weighed prejudice, and weighed it against an appellant’s submissions; decision letters set out reasons for appeal panel decisions.
• The Council agreed to remind all panel members to: be consistent with their approach to evidence which is speculative; explore and test the prejudice case submitted.

Case Ref: 24 004 118 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• By training or other means remind relevant staff to always inform/update parents or guardians about the Council’s reviews and outcomes on its plans whether to increase a child’s part-time education.

Case Ref: 24 002 474 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with an update on its action plan to address the lack of Occupational and Speech and Language Therapists in its area.

Case Ref: 23 018 672 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will ensure a copy of our final decision is considered by relevant Members. The Council has suggested that the final decision is shared as part of a safeguarding meeting of Members.
• The Council will share this decision with relevant staff.

Case Ref: 23 016 513 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to identify the action it is going to take to ensure it does financial assessments promptly and it communicates more clearly with people about the charges for their care.

Case Ref: 23 015 666 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will remind staff making adult social care financial assessment decisions and on appeal panels that they must consider the person's individual circumstances when deciding what to treat as Disability Related Expenditure.

Case Ref: 23 014 851 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• In the response to the complaint, the Council explained it is taking steps to restructure the service area, increase staffing and use additional practitioners such as locum Educational Psychologists (EP). With this in mind, the Council has agreed to provide evidence of any planned service improvements, or those already undertaken, to improve the timescales for EHC needs assessments and EP allocation.

Case Ref: 23 012 707 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will remind staff to ensure when seeking to limit contact between a client and their relatives they are clear whether this is its recommendation to the family, or whether a formal best interests’ decision is required