Case Ref: 24 002 544 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council will provide evidence it has put in place senior management level training and development on overriding consent when children are at risk or of suffering significant harm.
• The Council will provide evidence it has disseminated the 2023 Working Together guidance and held training on this.
• The Council will provide evidence it has held workshops for social workers and managers on holding family network meetings.
• The Council will provide evidence of senior manager reflection when a new manager was in post and child protection case supervision would take place within 20-working days of a new manager being responsible.

Case Ref: 24 001 676 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Review its processes and provide guidance to staff to ensure that EHC Plan annual reviews are undertaken within the statutory timescales.

Case Ref: 24 000 331 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to:review its procedures for making sure the SEN provision in EHC Plans it issues is being delivered and as a minimum, in line with our expectations,have systems in place to:• check the special educational provision is in place when a new or amended EHC Plan is issued or there is achange in educational placement;• check the provision at least annually during the EHC review process; and• quickly investigate and act on complaints or concerns raised that the provision is not in place at anytime.
• The Council has agreed to review the information and guidance it provides to parents and carers of children and young people when it issues EHC Plans about the action they can take if they have concerns about the delivery of the SEN provision including how and who to contact at the Council.

Case Ref: 23 018 665 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council agreed to issue advice to its Special Educational Needs case workers on what to do if evidence accompanying a request for an education, health and care needs assessment suggested a child was out of school and / or not receiving a full-time education. In these circumstances, the Council should consider if there is any support for schools and /or alternative provision it can make pending the outcome of the assessment inline with its duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996.

Case Ref: 23 005 100 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Disabled children

• The Council will remind officers of the need to ensure child and family assessments and referrals to the panel are made promptly and that parents are kept up-to-date with what is happening.

Case Ref: 23 003 155 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling.

Case Ref: 22 017 528 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Issue guidance to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of the Council’s duties detailed in the Education Act 1996 to ensure all children receive a suitable education if they are unable to attend school.

Case Ref: 22 009 652 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will draw up an action plan for the Care Provider to address the concerns identified in this decision. This should include robust record keeping, following care plans and conducting mental capacity assessments when necessary, appropriate staff training and keeping service users’ premises in the right order.
• The Council will provide us with a summary of improvements made by the Care Provider following actions undertaken by the Council's Quality Improvement Team.

Case Ref: 22 013 086 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council's staff dealing with the children's services complaint will receive a learning bulletin, highlighting this complaint and reminding them of the Council's responsibility in responding to complaints when care proceedings are ongoing. The Council will send us the evidence this has happened.

Case Ref: 22 010 668 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will update its homeless duty appeal decision letter template to include a standard paragraph about the right to appeal the Council’s decision to the county court.
• The Council will review all main homeless duty appeal decision letters it issued within the last six months and ensure it informs applicants of their right to appeal to the county court. If the Council did not inform applicants of their right to appeal, it should write to them and inform them of this right.