Case Ref: 25 001 695 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will investigate and report back to the Ombudsman about why a young person did not have their Education Health and Care Plan issued by 31 March 2025 setting out the details of their post-16 transition. It will outline action it has taken to ensure other children and young people are not similarly affected during key transition years in their education.
• The Council will outline what, if any, issues have been identified in the Council’s processes for consulting schools, colleges and other education providers which led to the faults in this case including missed provision. The Council should then outline any action it is taking to prevent recurrence of these issues in future.

Case Ref: 25 000 562 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council has agreed to ensure that its frontline children’s social care staff are fully aware of its ‘Section 17 Children Act 1989 Financial Assistance Guidance’.

Case Ref: 24 019 682 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind relevant officers via team meetings or staff briefings that personal budgets in Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans are optional. Where parents/carers express concerns with the Council that they no longer want a personal budget, then the Council should instead take responsibility to ensure the relevant provision is put in place.

Case Ref: 24 019 194 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council should emind all relevant staff of the need to respond to correspondence appropriately.

Case Ref: 24 017 132 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will amend its process so when a person using its service under the protection of property team does regain capacity, it will ask them whether they are happy for the Council to continue to secure their belongings and document their decision.
• The Council will remind relevant staff to respond to complaints in line with its complaints procedure.

Case Ref: 24 016 385 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council and ICB should carry out a joint review of their Multi-Agency Policy (specifically sections 4.9 and 6.2) to ensure if falls in line with the Mental Health Act and Code of Practice's approach to Section 117 and accommodation. Once the Council and ICB have completed that review of the Multi-Agency Policy, within a further four weeks, they should contact Ms F to offer to arrange a comprehensive assessment of Ms F’s Section 117 aftercare needs, to support her discharge from her current hospital admission. If they decide Ms F will need accommodation on discharge from hospital, it should include a detailed analysis explaining if that placement meets the criteria for “accommodation plus”.
• During my investigation, the Council and ICB told me “There are approximately 250 people who have been identified that might be paying rent in the context of supported living, who receive Section 117 after-care”. Based on the Council and ICB’s flawed Multi-Agency Policy, some of those people may be unnecessarily paying towards their accommodation. Therefore, as part of individual service users’ Section 117 annual review process, the Council and ICB should review if those people’s supported living placement forms part of their Section 117 aftercare.

Case Ref: 24 016 061 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will carry out a review, at management level, about what went wrong in this case and provide the Ombudsman with a short report setting out the action it proposes to take to ensure financial assessments are completed in a timely fashion and there is sufficient management oversight of outstanding financial assessments.
• The Council will brief relevant staff of the importance of keeping family members informed of progress when carrying out financial assessments.

Case Ref: 24 012 991 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council will remind relevant officers and managers to comply with their responsibilities under relevant Care Act legislation and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance. This will help to ensure care and support plans are reviewed and updated in a timely manner. It will also help to ensure comprehensive, relevant information is shared with relevant service users at an early stage to promote their wellbeing and advise of possible options in the case presented.

Case Ref: 24 010 594 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review with staff the importance of following the statutory guidance when it receives a request for an education, health and care needs assessment.
• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with a plan of what action it is taking or will take to resolve its issues with staffing.
• The Council will review with staff that it should monitor or review a situation where a child is attending school on a part-time timetable due to challenges.

Case Ref: 24 010 458 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to provide an update on the actions it is taking to address the ongoing shortage of Occupational Therapists in its area.