Case Ref: 24 018 663 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of the Personal Budget process, and that all Personal Budget requests are responded to.

Case Ref: 24 018 192 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of ensuring direct payment accounts are audited at least annually. This will help to ensure appropriate oversight of direct payment accounts and prevent unspent funds accruing.
• The Council will advise relevant staff to direct service users who are arranging respite services through direct payments, to advice about Care Quality Commission registration. This will help to ensure respite providers hold the appropriate Care Quality Commission registration for services they provide.

Case Ref: 24 012 171 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to provide us with evidence of the actions it is taking to improve its Special Educations Needs and Disabilities service, and in particular, details of the action it will take when gaps in provision are reported, and how it will ensure it is able to meet the statutory timescales for issuing Education, Health and Care Plans.
• The Council has agreed to provide us with evidence of the actions it is taking to improve its children’s social care services, and in particular, how it intends to minimise social worker turnover and details of the action it is taking to ensure it manages Child in Need cases in accordance with its statutory duties.

Case Ref: 23 013 452 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• Remind relevant staff to provide a copy of the assessment and care plan to the assessed person, regardless of any dispute.
• Ensure relevant staff understand the Council’s duty to make reasonable adjustments and know how to identify, record, and act on a request for reasonable adjustments. It will provide training or guidance as needed.

Case Ref: 23 008 737 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will remind relevant staff to ensure that where carers are providing a significant amount of care, they should be involved in the needs assessment process and offered a carers assessment.
• The Council will take action to ensure the Council commissioned care home reviews it practice to ensure it has properly considered an individual’s needs as set out in any support plan provided by the Council, as part of the admission and assessment process.

Case Ref: 23 005 717 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to identify the actions it is going to take to ensure it improves the way it deals with DRE in future.

Case Ref: 22 017 318 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will remind staff to clearly explain in its decision letters its reasons for refusing disability related expenditure requests.

Case Ref: 22 014 796 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the statutory timeframes for investigating children's services complaints.
• The Council has agreed to improve its processes for monitoring compliance with remedies arising from its complaint investigations.

Case Ref: 22 011 836 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council agreed to communicate to all staff who respond to complaints about commissioned care homes that they should obtain information from the care home in order to provide a full response to a complaint.
• The Council agreed to review what it requires of its commissioned care providers about accompanying care home residents to medical appointments and liaising with families about appointments. This is to ensure its requirements are clear. The Council should review how it monitors this issue for the Care Providers that it commissions to provide residential and nursing care.

Case Ref: 21 013 145 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Remind officers of the factors they should consider when deciding whetheralternative educational provision needs to be made. Specifically, that there isnot a requirement for there to be medical reasons for non-attendance before theCouncil will make alternative provision.