Service improvements

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026

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 1 - 4 of 4 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council as a CSV file.

  • Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 022 688)

    Category: Education Date: 16-Feb-2026

    Summary

    Mrs X complained on behalf of her son, Mr X, that the Council failed to deliver provision outlined in his Education, Health and Care Plan. Mrs X said the Council did not communicate properly or make an adequate assessment of Mr X’s needs. Mrs X also complained about how the Council handled her complaint. She said the Council’s actions incurred a large financial loss to the family and caused Mr X to miss out on provision he was entitled to. She said the Council’s actions also caused a significant impact on Mr X’s mental health as well as time, trouble and distress to the family. We found fault by the Council. The Council has agreed to provide an apology and a financial remedy and to carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    Review its record keeping processes in relation to its Special Educational Needs, and Education, Health and Care Plan services to ensure they are in accordance with the principles of good administrative practiceCarry out a review of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities transformation plan particularly with regard to the commissioning of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities services and therapies support, and the handling of Education, Health and Care Plan reviews.

  • Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 021 816)

    Category: Education Date: 24-Mar-2026

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for not considering if it owed a section 19 duty to secure suitable alternative education for Miss X’s child (Y) after they stopped attending school. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to remedy the distress, frustration and uncertainty caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to create an action plan to demonstrate how it will ensure the Council makes and stores clear and accurate records of section 19 decision making for children out of school.

  • Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 013 321)

    Category: Education Date: 19-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council has said it will provide her with a transport budget that does not cover the cost of transporting her child, Y, to his placement named in his Education, Health and Care Plan for the whole academic year. Mrs X says she is struggling to meet the travel costs and it has resulted in a lot of stress and worry. I have found fault with the Council’s transport policy, found evidence the Council did not apply the correct test as set out in law when considering Y’s application for transport, failed to provide Mrs X with a personal travel budget as promised and failed to meet statutory timescales when finalising Y’s EHC Plan following an annual review. The fault has resulted in ongoing financial hardship, ongoing delayed appeal rights and uncertainty about what decision the Appeal Panel would have made if it had been guided by an appropriate policy, suitable training and had it considered Y’s circumstances properly. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice caused to the family and make the recommended service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its policy on Post-16 Transport and revise the wording of the eligibility criteria/tests in Section Three and Section Five to reflect the Council’s duty to provide transport if it is considered ‘necessary’. The Council will properly reflect in its revised policy the difference between the approaches the Council should be taking for young people aged 16-18 and those over 19 and make the finalised revised policy available on its website.The Council will review the cases of all post-16 learners who have applied for transport where the Council has used the policy it adopted on 1 June 2024 and identify the cases where it has refused transport at appeal and not used the correct test in law. The Council will then write to the young people identified in its review and invite them to reapply for travel assistance (if still relevant) under its revised policy. The Council will backdate any travel costs incurred by families where it overturns its decision using the revised policy/correct test as set out in law.The Council will provide training to all council officers who will make decisions on transport for children and young people under the revised policy, including Appeal Panel Members.

  • Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (22 013 855)

    Category: Education Date: 29-Jul-2025

    Summary

    Mr and Mrs B complained the Council failed to ensure their son received the provision in his education, health and care plan, failed to put in place education when their son stopped attending school and delayed responding to their complaint. There is evidence Mr and Mrs B’s son did not receive all the one-to-one provision in his education, health and care plan, the Council failed to act appropriately when Mr and Mrs B’s son stopped attending school and the Council delayed responding to the complaint. That means Mr and Mrs B’s son missed out on education and special educational needs provision. An apology, payment to Mr and Mrs B and reminder to officers is satisfactory remedy.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind officers dealing with children who are not attending school about the Council’s section 19 responsibility and the options the Council should consider to ensure the child receives education.The Council will provide evidence to the Ombudsman of the process the Council has put in place to monitor responses to complaints.

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