Case Ref: 25 008 975 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• During the course of the Ombudsmen's investigation the Council and an NHS integrated care board were already in the process of developing and agreeing a funding dispute process. The Council should complete an action plan about finalising and implementing this dispute process. The action plan should include timeframes for key actions, escalation plans and information about senior oversight.

Case Ref: 25 003 689 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to ensure relevant officers consider and explore whether the nearest suitable, appropriate school could take a child with an Education, Health and Care plan when it initially says it cannot.
• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to consider and explore the provision of tuition either at home, or away from home, where restrictions are raised by parents.
• The Council agreed to ensure officers consider the section 19 duty and make a record of the decision made.
• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to ensure provision set out in an Education, Health and Care plan is made when a child does not attend school for whatever reason.

Case Ref: 25 001 375 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• •Review its procedures for transition planning for young people approaching 18. The review should focus on how staff will ensure assessments take place early enough so there are no gaps in provision, and an adult care package is in place for when the young person turns 18.

Case Ref: 24 020 946 Category: Education Sub Category: Other

• Review its penalty notice procedures to ensure payment records are properly reviewed before enforcement action is taken. This should include either adapting its systems to detect over payments or introducing a manual check to identify payment anomalies where enforcement is being considered.
• Ensure internal correspondence-handling arrangements are robust enough to route payment-related emails to the correct team.

Case Ref: 24 017 768 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to provide details of the steps it is taking to improve the supply of EP reports.

Case Ref: 24 012 888 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to issue a briefing(s) note to all relevant staff using this case as a case study. The briefing(s) should reinforce the following expectations:Safeguarding telephone calls must be handled appropriately, with staff responding proportionately to each concern, regardless of whether the individual is a frequent caller.Staff must apply the correct criteria when responding to safeguarding concerns, including proper consideration of Section 42 of the Care Act 2014 where appropriate.All communications and decisions related to safeguarding concerns must be accurately recorded.Referrers should be included in the information-gathering process when responding to safeguarding referrals.Each case should be assessed individually. The allocation or pending allocation of a social worker must not prevent appropriate escalation of concerns.Assessment visits must be documented promptly, with any agreed actions carried out without delay.Contacts from individuals must be responded to by the allocated worker promptly.Where difficulties arise in sourcing an appropriate care provider, staff must continue efforts to meet the individual’s assessed needs. If all options are exhausted, the matter should be escalated appropriately.When care cannot be provided, a risk assessment must be completed and the matter escalated. This should include consideration of alternative legal frameworks and care solutions.Multi-disciplinary team meetings must be formally minuted, with clear action plans recorded.Where difficulties arise impacting the progression of DFG works. If all options are exhausted, the matter should be escalated appropriately.

Case Ref: 24 010 249 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council agreed to consider how it can improve communication between internal teams and external agencies to ensure notification of the death of a care receiver is passed to the appropriate team.

Case Ref: 24 007 579 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will provide written advice to all adult social care providers in its area to remind them of best practice and minimising the risks to residents and staff when supporting residents with managing their personal finances.

Case Ref: 24 006 219 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind all relevant staff, including managers, of the Council’s duty to provide alternative educational provision. The Council should remind staff not to wait for forms from schools: the Council must not delay arranging alternative provision.

Case Ref: 24 004 851 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its process for engaging with Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan annual reviews, to ensure it has a robust way to:check whether children and young people had received the special educational provision in section F of their EHC Plan; andidentify significant gaps between the provision EHC Plans say that commissioned services should be delivering, and what they are actually delivering.