Case Ref: 22 007 503 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will share learning about the application of the Dudley Test (a court judgement that set out how a council should consider whether it should pay for a parent's choice of school transport) in this case with relevant school transport officers and panel members to prevent a recurrence of the same error.

Case Ref: 22 007 365 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of: The Council’s duties under section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to provide provision or suitable education for children of compulsory age who cannot attend school because of exclusion, medical reasons or otherwise. The Department for Education statutory guidance which says where specific medical evidence, such as that provided by a medical consultant, is not quickly available, councils should consider liaising with other medical professionals, such as the child’s GP, and consider looking at other evidence to ensure minimal delay in arranging appropriate provision for the child

Case Ref: 22 006 592 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• Review its policy and procedures to decide whether it needs to make any changes to these, or provide any further written guidance to staff, to ensure staff are aware of the Dudley Test and consider all three stages when making decisions about school transport in cases of this nature

Case Ref: 22 006 334 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Remind relevant staff of the Care and Support Statutory guidance which says plans can be reviewed in three ways: a planned review; an unplanned review (usually due to a change in circumstances); and a requested review (when the person or another party asks for a review).

Case Ref: 22 006 212 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• It is noted that as a result of previous investigations by this office, the Council has agreed to a series of procedural improvements in delivery of services to children with special educational needs over the past 18 months. This has included: reminding staff on the importance of effective communications duringthe Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process; introducing measuresto ensure the Council actions the outcome of annual review meetings promptlyand has systems in place to monitor this and to ensure it meets the statutorytimescales;reminding staff of the need to ensure the Council provides any educationprovision detailed within an EHCP; addressing withschools any instance where a school is unwilling or unable to make theprovision set out in a pupil’s EHCP; reminding staff on the importance of complying with Governmentguidance on its duties under Section 19 of the Education Act to provide alternative education for children not in school; reminding staff ofthe need to keep to timescales set out in its complaint procedure. Given that this investigation identified fault in these areas, the Council has agreed that it will consider what further steps it may need to take to embed these improvements in service and write to us with what further action it proposes to take.

Case Ref: 22 006 174 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Council has agreed to review its procedures for ensuring phase transfer reviews are completed within the required timescales and its SEN officers are aware of these timescales and their importance; and
• Council has agreed to review its procedures for ensuring reviews are completed within the required timescales and its SEN officers are aware of these timescales and their importance.

Case Ref: 22 005 875 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Ensure relevant staff are appropriately trained with respect to the annual review process. The Council should ensure staff are aware of the statutory time scales and the correct processes when it decides to amend or maintain a EHCP.

Case Ref: 22 005 871 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to identify the action it is going to take to make sure the financialassessment process takes account of its duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Case Ref: 22 003 217 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review how it arranges alternative education for permanently excluded pupils to ensure it arranges a full-time education form the sixth day following exclusion unless it decides this is not in a pupil’s interests. Where this is the case, it should ensure it fully records its decision about this and shares the reasons for its decision with parents.
• The Council agreed to review its approach to reviewing Education Health and Care plans following the permanent exclusion from schools named in those plans. It should ensure it properly considers whether to review Education Health and Care plans when it becomes aware such a school placement has permanently broken down.

Case Ref: 22 002 957 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind officers they must consider parental requests for professional advice during Educational Health and Care Plan assessments and seek the advice, if the request is reasonable.
• The Council will remind officers of the importance of keeping parents updated during the Education, Health and Care needs assessment process.
• The Council will review its Education, Health and Care plan procedures to ensure: officers complete the required paperwork after annual reviews and it has an effective way to monitor this; it completes needs assessments and re-assessments within the statutory timescales and it has an effective way to monitor this.