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.

Case Ref: 22 002 630 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to identify the action it is going to take to ensure officers take moreproactive action to avoid people being moved to another care home when stepscould be taken to avoid this.

Case Ref: 21 019 100 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed within three months of the date of my final decision:to consider any further action it can take to increase the choice and availability of placements for young people in D’s position.

Case Ref: 21 017 835 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• Provide evidence from the Care Provider of the reviewed policies for inventories when people move into the care home;
• Through contract monitoring ensure that staff are reminded and if necessary trained on:- human rights and how the way in which care is provided can infringe on these rights such as the right to family life; recording of decisions, and reviewing care plans; the importance of following and recording advice from other professionals such as the GP; the need to contact family members when there are significant changes in a resident’s care needs or circumstances.

Case Ref: 21 017 510 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to undertake a detailed review of its policy and procedure for responding to situations where a child is out of school and not receiving education,identifies the reasons why the Council repeatedly says the responsibility for education in these circumstances is down to the school and suggests improvements which can be made to improve staff understanding and implementation of this key duty.

Case Ref: 21 013 375 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with the procedural changes it said it has made internally, and with schools, to ensure it meets the statutory timescales for reviewing EHC plans and issuing amended EHC plans to parents.
• The Council will review how it keeps parents informed about any delays in the EHC plan process, and how it learns from these to prevent such delays in future.
• The Council will review its three-month trial with Mr D in which he were to provide his designated Council Officer with details about issues and needs for his children, and agree with Mr D whether to continue to trial.

Case Ref: 21 011 094 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will remind staff of the importance of ensuring that an adult's care needs continue to be met when their care plan is under review, particularly if there is a period of dispute regarding the number of care hours it proposes.
• The Council will remind staff of its duty to clearly set out in its reviews and assessments how a person’s eligible needs under the Care Act will be met, particularly where it proposes to reduce someone’s care hours.
• The Council will remind staff that its policy for reviewing care plans allows for the provision of cleaners to help people meet their eligible needs under the Care Act.
• The Council will remind staff of the importance of considering the individual financial circumstances of an adult needing care when recommending the use of a hot meals service in the place of care hours.