Service improvements

Leeds City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

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 - 10 of 12 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Leeds City Council as a CSV file.

  • Leeds City Council (24 007 590)

    Category: Education Date: 31-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complained about how the Council reviewed and amended her child, W’s, Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. Miss X also complained the Council failed to provide W with education when they struggled to attend school. The Council was at fault in how it carried out W’s EHC Plan reviews and made changes to their Plan. The Council was also at fault in how it decided whether it should arrange alternative education for W. We cannot say, even on balance, that this fault meant W missed out on education. The faults caused Miss X upset, frustration and uncertainty. To remedy her injustice, the Council will apologise and pay Miss X £700. The Council will remind staff they must keep suitable records of their decision-making on alternative education provision.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind officers they should keep suitable records of how they come to a decision on whether the Council should arrange alternative provision for a child. The records should show the Council considered all the relevant evidence before coming to its decision.

  • Leeds City Council (24 004 918)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council’s school admissions appeal panel used false information when deciding about his daughter’s (F) secondary school application. We found fault in the way the school admissions appeal panel made its decision. This fault caused confusion and distress to Mr X and his mother (Mrs Y) but did not affect the outcome of the appeal. The Council has agreed to apologise, to update F’s secondary school application and to make symbolic payments for Mr X’s and Mrs Y’s distress. The Council has also agreed to carry out some service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will consider amending its school admissions system to record the dates of any changes to the pupils’ addresses. The Council should provide us with evidence it has done so.

  • Leeds City Council (24 003 054)

    Category: Education Date: 21-Oct-2024

    Summary

    Mrs B complains about the Council’s delays in carrying out an Education, Health and Care needs assessment for her daughter and issuing the final Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan). There was fault by the Council. It did not meet statutory timescales during the EHC Plan process. Because of this, Mrs B suffered distress and she spent time and trouble chasing the Council for updates. The Council’s failure to meet statutory timescales also delayed her appeal right to the Tribunal. The Council will make a symbolic payment to Mrs B, apologise to Mrs B and her daughter and issue a staff briefing.

    Service improvements

    The Council will issue a staff briefing to remind relevant staff ofthe importance of following statutory timescales when completing EHC needsassessments, issuing final EHC Plans, and good communication. This will help to reduce delays in the EHC needs assessment process.

  • Leeds City Council (23 021 204)

    Category: Education Date: 14-Oct-2024

    Summary

    The Council should have considered its section 19 duty to Mr X’s child, Z, a year earlier than it did. Its failure to do so caused a period of uncertainty about what education Z should have received and later, two terms of avoidable missed provision. The Council also delayed by 38 weeks in concluding Z’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment. To recognise the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to pay Mr X £3,050 and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council delayed in concluding an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment. It has agreed to demonstrate that it has reviewed what led to its delay in progressing the child's EHC Needs Assessment and provide details of an action plan to prevent the same issue occurring again.The Council has agreed to provide details of action it has taken, or intends to take, to improve its communication with parents and young people.The Council has agreed to provide details of action it has taken, or intends to take, to manage any systemic delays in investigating complaints about its Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) service.The Council has agreed to remind all SEND staff that if they become aware that a parent has electively home educated their child, or intends to - not for reasons of preference but because of concerns their current education is not meeting their child’s needs - that the Council must consider whether it owes that child a section 19 duty.

  • Leeds City Council (23 019 778)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Oct-2024

    Summary

    Miss B complains about the Council’s decision not to assess her son for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan), and the Council’s subsequent delays in carrying out an EHC needs assessment and issuing an EHC Plan after she later applied again. She also complains the Council failed to consider relevant information during the assessment process and when issuing the EHC Plan. There was fault by the Council in the way it did not meet statutory timescales during the EHC Plan process. Because of this, Miss B suffered distress and frustration, and the Council’s failure to meet statutory timescales delayed her appeal rights to the Tribunal. Miss B’s son missed out on provision and support. The Council will apologise to Miss B and her son, make a symbolic payment, and provide staff training.

    Service improvements

    The Council will provide training to all relevant staff to remind staff of the importance offollowing statutory timescales when completing EHC needs assessments andissuing final EHC Plans, responding to complaints in a timely manner, and goodcommunication and record-keeping. This will help to ensure statutory timescales are met, and people do not experience delays or loss of provision and support.

  • Leeds City Council (23 018 292)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Ms C complains the Council delayed in assessing X for an Education Health Care (EHC) plan. The Council is at fault for failing to assess X for an EHC plan within the statutory timeframes and update Ms C. To put things right the Council has agreed to make Ms C a symbolic payment and remind staff to keep parents updated when it delays.

    Service improvements

    The Council will:-• remind staff of the importance of providing updates;• remind staff to complete agreed actions within complaint responses;

  • Leeds City Council (23 017 763)

    Category: Education Date: 15-Jul-2024

    Summary

    There was fault in the way the Council handled a transfer of an EHC plan and in its failure to secure alternative education when a child was unable to attend school due to ill-health. The Council will apologise, make symbolic payments, and carry out service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure it provides the correct notifications when a child with an EHC Plan moves into its area.The Council will ensure s.19 education is secured where appropriate and intervene when a school fails to make suitable arrangements.The Council will ensure it can process funding in a timely way so Section F provision in an EHC Plan is secured.

  • Leeds City Council (23 017 762)

    Category: Education Date: 16-Jul-2024

    Summary

    Ms C complained the Council failed to complete an Education, Health and Care needs assessment and issue a final Plan within the statutory timeframes and it failed to provide her child, X, with access to suitable, full time education. We have found the Council at fault which has caused an injustice. The Council has agreed to make a financial payment to Ms C and issue reminders to its staff to remedy the faults identified.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind staff dealing with special educational needs cases that where they are aware a child is not attending school, they should consider each individual case and its Section 19 duty in accordance with the relevant law and guidance.The Council will remind staff dealing with complaints that they should provide responses within the policy timeframes and if there is any delay in a full response being provided, they should keep complainants updated and informed of a revised timescale.

  • Leeds City Council (23 017 493)

    Category: Education Date: 20-Jun-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council delayed completing her child, Child Y’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and deciding to issue Child Y with an EHC Plan. The Council was at fault. Its failure to meet its statutory timescales was mainly due to a delay in obtaining Educational Psychologist advice. The Council will apologise, make a payment to Mrs X for the frustration and uncertainty the delays caused and put a service improvement in place for decision letters. The Council has already put service improvements in place for delays and communication.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to send decision letters telling parents if it will issue an Education, Health and Care Plan.

  • Leeds City Council (23 017 278)

    Category: Education Date: 06-Jun-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complains about the delay in the Council issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan for Child Y. She also complains about how the Council carried out the Education, Health and Care needs assessment and the Education, Health and Care Plan issued. We find fault with the Council for the delay in issuing Child Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council has agreed to pay a financial remedy in recognition of the delay and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to develop a long-term plan to address the delay because of Educational Psychologists. This will include taking it to the relevant scrutiny committee or panel and providing the Ombudsman with a copy once complete.

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