Hertfordshire County Council (23 013 633)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 08-Apr-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council has continued to fail to provide a suitable education for her daughter Y and has allowed further delay in the annual review process for Y’s Education Health and Care Plan. The Council’s failure to provide alternative education provision is fault. As are the delays in the annual review process and in considering Mrs X’s request for an Education Other Than At School package and personal budget. This fault has caused Mrs X and Y an injustice.

Hertfordshire County Council (23 010 879)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 14-Apr-2024

Summary: Mrs Y complains on Miss X’s behalf about the Council’s failure to secure speech and language provision for Miss X, as per her Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. The Council’s failure to arrange provision in the EHC Plan is fault. This has caused an injustice to Miss X and also Mrs Y. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice caused and it has agreed to implement service improvements.

Hertfordshire County Council (22 015 760)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 17-Apr-2024

Summary: Ms X complains about the Council’s handling and delivery of her child’s (Child Y) Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. The Council was at fault for failing to ensure the provision in Child Y’s EHC Plan was delivered between September 2022 and July 2023, delays in releasing funds for provision to Ms X, the review of Child Y’s EHC Plan and the handling of Ms X’s complaints. The Council has already provided an appropriate remedy for Child Y’s missed education. It will now also provide further redress to Ms X and her family for the injustice caused to them by its faults.

Hertfordshire County Council (22 018 114)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 18-Apr-2024

Summary: The Council was not at fault for refusing to pay Ms B a formal allowance when she was looking after a child under a private fostering arrangement. Nor was it at fault for ending the temporary financial support it gave her in lieu of an allowance. However, it was at fault for failing to confirm that Ms B had started receiving support from the child’s mother. This likely contributed to Mrs B going without financial support for a short period. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to recognise her injustice.

Hertfordshire County Council (23 019 341)

Statement Upheld Charging 22-Apr-2024

Summary: We have decided not to investigate Mrs X’s complaint about adult social care services for her father, Mr Y. This is because the Council has upheld the complaint and agreed to remedy the injustice caused.

Hertfordshire County Council (23 011 456)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 29-Apr-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide suitable education provision to her son while he was unable to attend school. She says the Council’s actions caused avoidable distress and uncertainty for her son and her family. We found fault by the Council. The Council has agreed to provide an apology and a financial remedy to Mrs X and to make some service improvements.

Hertfordshire County Council (23 012 750)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 06-May-2024

Summary: the Council failed to issue revised education, health and care plans following two reviews and delayed issuing an education, health and care plan following a third review. The Council also delayed dealing with Mrs X’s request to educate her son out of cohort. An apology, payment to Mrs X, introduction of a process to manage reviews and guidance to officers is satisfactory remedy.

Hertfordshire County Council (23 007 027)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 13-May-2024

Summary: We found fault in the Council’s delay to issue a final Education Health and Care Plan for the complainant’s son (Y) and in its communication with the complainant (Mrs X). This fault caused injustice to Y and Mrs X. We did not find fault in the Council’s actions to provide education to Y when out of school. The Council agreed to apologise, make the payment for Y’s and Mrs X’s distress and share this decision with the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities team staff.

Hertfordshire County Council (23 015 417)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 14-May-2024

Summary: Miss X complained about how the Council assessed her child, W, for an Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council was at fault for delay in completing W’s assessment and poor communication. This caused Miss X frustration and uncertainty and meant W missed out on four weeks of special educational provision. The Council will apologise and pay Miss X a total of £1000 in recognition of her and W’s injustice.

Hertfordshire County Council (23 010 125)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 16-May-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council delayed reassessing her child, Child Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan needs within the statutory timescales and the Council did not provide the reassessment decision. Mrs X also complained the Council communicated poorly with her. The Council was at fault and will apologise for the frustration caused to Mrs X by the delay in informing her if it would reassess Child Y’s needs.