Case Ref: 23 011 351 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council is carrying out a commissioning review to address failures to put in place physiotherapy and other therapies it set out in the Education Health and Care plans for children and young people in its area.

Case Ref: 23 009 926 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Produce an action plan to demonstrate how the council will meet statutory timescales for annual reviews.
• Provide staff training to ensure they understand the legal framework and obligations in relation to the faults found.

Case Ref: 23 008 311 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware children who receive alternative provision should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum where appropriate. The provision must also be of a standard a child would receive in school.

Case Ref: 23 006 845 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Share this decision with relevant staff, along with the Ombudsman’s focus report ‘Parent Power: learning from complaints about personal budgets’ (November 2023).
• Remind staff to be alert to requests for personal budgets and direct payments so that the Council can properly consider these.

Case Ref: 23 006 222 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Share this decision with relevant staff, along with the Ombudsman’s focus report ‘Parent Power: learning from complaints about personal budgets’ (November 2023).
• Remind staff to be alert to requests for personal budgets and direct payments so that the Council can properly consider these.

Case Ref: 23 006 015 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will:a) remind and if appropriate provide training to staff members about1. the importance of including vulnerable people within the safeguarding process;2. assessing mental capacity in line with the safeguarding policy;3. providing an advocate in line with the safeguarding policy.
• b) review how safeguarding concerns were acted on in this complaint in particular the initial delay after the November 2022 concern;
• c) remind staff and the Care Provider about the importance of completing risk assessments when issues are raised.

Case Ref: 23 005 403 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to review its assessment and funding procedures to ensure there are clear timescales for funding decisions to be made and communicated to service-users and their families.

Case Ref: 23 005 353 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council will by training or other means, ensure the relevant officers are aware that all issues raised in a complaint are appropriately addressed and remind relevant officers of the importance of providing clear communication and responding in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 23 003 403 Category: Education Sub Category: School admissions

• The Council will remind all clerking staff of the importance of accurately recording how the panels have reached their decisions.

Case Ref: 23 003 106 Category: Education Sub Category: School admissions

• The Council will remind clerks of the need to record robust and clear reasons for the panel’s decision at both stages of the school admission appeals process.