Service improvements

Kent County Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 11 - 20 of 21 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Kent County Council as a CSV file.

  • Kent County Council (23 017 650)

    Category: Education Date: 15-Oct-2024

    Summary

    the Council delayed putting in place alternative provision for Miss B’s daughter, delayed completing an education, health and care needs assessment and in issuing a final EHC Plan and failed to respond to Miss B’s communications. An apology, payment to Miss B, review of the case and an action plan to address the issues that arose is satisfactory remedy.

    Service improvements

    The Council will carry out a review of this case and draw up an action plan to address any learning points. The Council should then provide evidence to the Ombudsman of the action it has taken to address the issues that have arisen in this case.

  • Kent County Council (23 015 248)

    Category: Education Date: 18-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Mrs B complained that the Council in respect of her son C’s special educational needs, had failed to reassess C’s needs, to issue amended Education, Health and Care Plans following two annual reviews, to provide alternative education while he was out of school, to progress a personal budget request or respond to her complaints about the matter in a timely or accurate way. We found the Council was at fault in all these areas. C has missed out on education for a significant period of time and Mrs B had been caused distress, frustration and financial hardship. The Council has agreed to make payments to Mrs B and C and to provide an update on improvements to its SEND service.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide an update on the steps it has taken to improve the way it:deals with Annual Reviews and issuing amended EHC Plans;provides alternative education for children out of school due to anxiety;makes and communicates decisions around Personal Budgets; anddeals with complaints within a reasonable period of time and provides quality responses with a remedy where appropriate.

  • Kent County Council (23 014 736)

    Category: Education Date: 06-Jan-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council did not provide appropriate education to his son when he was not on roll at any school and that it did not organise provision set out in his Education, Health and Care Plan. We found fault because the Council failed to deliver an appropriate level of alternative education and failed to deliver the services specified in the plan. Mr X has suffered avoidable distress and frustration and his son has missed out on some of the education he should have received. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mr X, issue reminders and guidance to relevant staff and consider reviewing some of its policies and procedures.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant officers and managers of its statutory duties to provide alternative education provision under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996. This will help to ensure that those who are due alternative education provision receive an appropriate level of education in a timely manner.The Council will consider reviewing its policies and procedures related to its statutory duties to provide alternative education provision under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996. This will help to ensure the Council understands and retains oversight and control of its statutory duties and the process as a whole.The Council will share the Ombudsman's focus report 'Out of school, Out of Sight with relevant officers and managers. This will help to ensure officers are clear on their statutory duties to organise alternative education provision under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996.The Council will remind relevant officers and managers of its statutory duties under Section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014 which say it must deliver specialist provision set out in an Education, Health and Care Plan. This will help to ensure officers are clear on the Council's duties to organise specialist education set out in any such plans.The Council will consider reviewing its policies and procedures linked to its statutory duties under Section 42 of the Children and Families Act 2014. This will help to ensure it retains oversight and control of its duty to deliver specialist education set out in any Education, Health and Care Plans.

  • Kent County Council (23 013 508)

    Category: Education Date: 01-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Mrs D complained how the Council handled her home to school transport appeal. She says the Council delayed dealing with her appeal. She also says the panel failed to properly consider the unsuitability of the pickup and drop off times from the transport arrangements. We find fault as the panel failed to consider what Mrs D originally wanted to appeal about. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to address the injustice caused by fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council will issue written reminders to relevant officers and panel members who deal with home to school transport appeals to ensure they are aware parents can appeal about the suitability of the collection and drop off times from any proposed travel arrangements.

  • Kent County Council (23 013 257)

    Category: Education Date: 30-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council delayed in reviewing and amending her child D’s Education, Health, and Care Plan, and failed to respond to her complaint about this. There was fault by the Council which caused D to miss some support for their special educational needs. The fault also caused avoidable distress, time, and trouble for Mrs X. The Council agreed to apologise and pay a financial remedy. It will also identify any changes needed to its complaint handling process so it does not fail to respond to complaints in future.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review what happened in this case to establish why it failed to respond to the complaint. It will identify any changes needed to its complaint handling process to prevent similar issues in future.

  • Kent County Council (23 013 236)

    Category: Education Date: 30-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council failed in its duties to provide suitable education and Special Educational Needs support to her child, P. There was fault by the Council which caused P to miss education and SEN support. It also caused avoidable distress for P, and avoidable distress, time, and trouble for Mrs X. The Council agreed to apologise, pay a financial remedy, and properly consider Mrs X’s request for a Personal Budget for P’s Education, Health, and Care Plan. The Council will also review relevant processes, and issue reminders to staff in its Special Educational Needs Service and Children’s Complaints Team.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to issue a reminder to all staff in its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities service that where it decides to issue an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan following an EHC needs assessment, the family has the right to request a Personal Budget, and the Council must properly consider and respond to this request. With this staff reminder, it will also share a copy of the Ombudsman’s November 2023 Focus Report, ‘Parent Power: personal budgets in EHC Plans’.The Council agreed to review the process it follows after it issues a final Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan, to ensure it meets its duty to immediately secure the special educational needs provision in the Plan. It will:specifically consider its practice where a child is out of school or not engaging with education. It will ensure it properly considers to what extent it can deliver the EHC Plan and makes a record of this consideration; anddecide whether it needs to make any administrative changes to its processes, or deliver training to staff, to ensure this is not missed in future.The Council agreed to issue a reminder to staff in its Children’s Complaints Team, about the importance of responding to all issues raised in a complaint, so complainants do not need to escalate their concerns to get a response.

  • Kent County Council (23 012 748)

    Category: Education Date: 02-May-2024

    Summary

    There was continued fault and delay by the Council in completing a statutory reassessment and a failure to secure provision in an Education, Health and Care Plan. There was administrative fault in the way the advice for reassessment was handled. There was also non-compliance with previous Ombudsman agreed recommendations. This caused distress, time, trouble and lost educational provision. The council will apologise, make a financial payment and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its staff guidance and processes so EHC assessments and reassessments are completed on time and the Regulations and Code are followed when seeking advice, to include discussing the range of advice with parents and including their representations in documentation sent to professionals.The Council will review its staff guidance and processes to ensure it monitors and reviews the level of education provided to children educated otherwise than at school and to ensure all provision and therapies are in place.The Council will remind staff of the importance of complying with Ombudsman recommendations to avoid repeat complaints.

  • Kent County Council (23 012 170)

    Category: Education Date: 14-Apr-2024

    Summary

    the Council failed to issue a decision following three annual reviews for an EHC plan. That leaves Mr B with uncertainty about whether the Council would have arranged a new school placement for his son and included therapy in the EHC plan. The Council also delayed responding to a complaint. An apology, payment to Mr B, agreement to issue an EHC plan and putting in place a procedure to manage reviews is satisfactory remedy.

    Service improvements

    The Council will set up a process to manage annual reviews for EHC plans to ensure they are followed up on once a review has been completed.

  • Kent County Council (23 010 806)

    Category: Education Date: 08-May-2024

    Summary

    There was fault by the Council. The Council delayed issuing an amended Education, Health and Care Plan after an annual review. This meant the parents appeal rights were delayed. The Council also did not monitor the progress of a funded reintegration plan into school. An apology, payment and revised procedure remedy the injustice of loss of education.

    Service improvements

    Review its procedures and provide guidance to its staff to ensure decisions made to maintain, amend or cease Education, Health and Care Plan’s following reviews are issued within the statutory timescales.

  • Kent County Council (23 008 993)

    Category: Education Date: 24-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council failed to provide special educational needs provision for her child D in line with their Education, Health, and Care Plan. There was fault by the Council which caused D to miss provision and caused financial loss to Mrs X because she paid for some provision herself. The Council’s fault also caused avoidable distress for D, and avoidable distress, time, and trouble for Mrs X. The Council agreed to apologise, pay a financial remedy, and review relevant processes.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review the process it follows after it issues a final Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan, to ensure it meets its duty to immediately secure the special educational needs provision in the Plan. It will:specifically consider its practice for securing the Plan where a child is Educated Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS); anddecide whether it needs to make any administrative changes to its processes, or deliver training to staff, to ensure this is not missed in future.

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