Case Ref: 24 000 679 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Remind staff in writing of the importance of providing full information about the likely costs of care.

Case Ref: 23 020 343 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council will remind relevant Special Educational Needs and Disability staff of the statutory timescales for issuing final Education, Health and Care Plans.
• The Council will remind relevant officers and managers to make and store clear and accurate records of section 19 decision making.
• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with evidence to show its change in complaints handling to ensure all verbal communication is followed up with a written outcome.

Case Ref: 23 016 084 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• 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. It will also consider reviewing its policies and procedures related to these duties and share the Ombudsman's focus report 'Out of school, Out of Sight'. These actions will help to ensure that those who are due alternative education provision receive it in a timely manner and will help to ensure the Council understands and retains oversight and control of its statutory duties.
• 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. The Council will also consider reviewing its policies and procedures linked to these statutory duties. This will help to ensure it retains oversight and control of its duty to deliver specialist education set out in any such plans.
• The Council will remind relevant officers and managers of the need to communicate in a timely and transparent manner and to make and store appropriately detailed and contemporaneous records when completing work on special educational needs files. This will help to ensure those affected are properly kept up to date and that records are more detailed, showing what happened and when.
• The Council will remind relevant officers and managers of its duties to promote educational achievement for previously looked after children as per its duties under Section 23ZZA of the Children Act 1989. This will help to ensure those affected are given appropriate opportunities to access education.
• The Council will review its special educational needs transformation plan in relation to alternative educational provision. It will then present this review to the relevant committee to ensure cabinet oversight and scrutiny. This will help to ensure it has adequate plans in place to deliver alternative educational provision to those who are due it.

Case Ref: 23 014 389 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to ensure that it provides more information about the likely level of a person’s contribution before they agree to the care package; and take steps to reduce the time taken to complete the financial assessment process.

Case Ref: 23 013 968 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will ensure it has enough staff to complete financial assessments without delay.

Case Ref: 23 013 093 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• By training or other means, share the learning from this complaint, the requirements of chapter 21 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance and Improving Access to Social Housing for Victims of Domestic Abuse guidance with officers to ensure they are aware of how to appropriately deal with homelessness and housing register applicants at risk of domestic abuse.
• By training or other means, reminds officers to notify applicants of their right to seek a review of their priority band.

Case Ref: 23 009 454 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• Through the Council’s commissioning team it should ensure the Care Provider’s staff are reminded either through team meetings or a staff circular, and if necessary, provide staff training about:a) the importance of recording clear contemporaneous records;b) completing body maps, assessments, and support plans when people enter the service;c) the importance of providing person centred care when people have communication difficulties.
• Through the Council’s commissioning team it will ensure the Care Provider’s falls policy has sufficient detail and staff are trained about what a physical examination should entail after a person has a fall.
• Through the Council’s commissioning team it will ensure the Care Provider has a communication policy and that staff are trained on this policy.

Case Ref: 23 004 095 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• The Council will review its case management processes for its planning enforcement services, ensuring it has sufficient alerts after periods of inactivity, and sufficient management oversight of case progression.

Case Ref: 23 002 450 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council will send the Ombudsman evidence of its progress with the action plan.

Case Ref: 23 001 559 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to complete the children's statutory complaints procedure within the statutory timescales.