Service improvements

Leeds City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

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 10 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 (23 010 727)

    Category: Education Date: 15-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Mrs F complained about delays by the Council in completing an assessment of her son G’s special educational needs, issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan, finding a suitable placement and ensuring he had a suitable education during the period of delay. We found fault with the actions of the Council. It has agreed to increase its payment to Mrs F and provide evidence of the steps it has taken to improve its procedures for the future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to explain what steps it has taken or is taking to ensure it complies with the statutory timescales in the EHC Plan process and its section 19 duty to provide alternative education.

  • Leeds City Council (23 009 924)

    Category: Education Date: 21-Feb-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complained about the Council’s poor communication. She said the Council has failed to issue her son’s education, health and care plan within the statutory timescale. She also said the Council has failed to make alternative provision while her son was unable to attend school. We find the Council was at fault. This caused significant stress to Miss X and her son was out of education. To address this injustice caused by fault, the Council has agreed to several recommendations.

    Service improvements

    The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of the Council's section 19 duty

  • Leeds City Council (23 005 153)

    Category: Education Date: 19-Dec-2023

    Summary

    The Council’s delay considering Mrs X’s request for an Education Health and Care needs assessment for her child was fault. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mrs X and act to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to update the Ombudsman on its progress against its plan to address its backlog of requests for Education Health and Care needs assessments.The Council has agreed to ensure the Council keeps people awaiting EHC decisions updated about the status of their case.

  • Leeds City Council (23 003 818)

    Category: Education Date: 22-Jan-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council failed to secure the provision set out in her son’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. She says this has caused his education and welfare to suffer and caused him distress. The Council is at fault for delay in reviewing and amending the EHC plan.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to consider how it monitors annual reviews which it delegates to schools so it can identify potential failings at the earliest opportunity.

  • Leeds City Council (23 002 078)

    Category: Education Date: 12-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council took too long to issue her son’s Education, Health and Care Plan and that communication from the Council was poor. We found fault because there was a significant delay issuing the plan which affected the education on offer to her son. Ms X suffered avoidable frustration and distress in getting the issues resolved and her son missed out on the education he should have received. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Ms X, issue reminders to relevant staff and consider reviewing some of its procedures.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant officers and managers of its statutory duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996. This will help to ensure it understands its duties to provide alternative education provision to those eligible.The Council will consider reviewing its policies and procedures to ensure it retains oversight and control for its Section 19 duties under the Education Act 1996. This will help to ensure the Council itself has full and proper awareness of what education is being delivered to those who should be receiving alternative education provision.

  • Leeds City Council (22 016 275)

    Category: Education Date: 19-Sep-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about the delays in the statutory Education, Health and Care plan assessment and an assessment by Occupational Therapist. She also complained about the Council’s poor communication with her about the assessments. Mrs X said the Council’s actions caused her and her son avoidable distress and uncertainty. The Council was at fault for the delays. It agreed to take action to remedy the injustice caused to Mrs X and Y.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to remind its SEND officers the importance of keeping the parents updated of the EHC plan assessment process.

  • Leeds City Council (22 015 193)

    Category: Education Date: 19-Feb-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council delayed in reviewing her son’s Education, Health and Care Plan, misled her about her appeal rights and the provision that could be made and failed to ensure all the specified provision was made. There was fault by the Council which caused injustice. The Council will apologise, make a payment to Ms X and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will: •provide clear information that is available to schools, parents and officers on the difference between a place in a mainstream school and in the associated resourced provision. This is to ensure all parties understand the distinction between them both in terms of the support provided and entry requirements;•disseminate the learning from this complaint to officers on the importance of supplying factual information in relation to any appeal rights.

  • Leeds City Council (22 014 477)

    Category: Education Date: 14-Nov-2023

    Summary

    There was excessive delay by the Council in issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan. There was also a failure to provide alternative (s.19) education when a child was unable to attend school and a more suitable placement could not be identified. This caused loss of education, inconvenience, and distress. The Council will apologise, make a financial payment and service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its practice around alternative education when section 19 Education Act 1996 applies including staff knowledge is up to date and provision is regularly reviewed for pupils receiving less than full-time provision.The Council will respond on the appearance of need to the impact on parent carers of children being out of school for extended periods and offer child in need and parent carer needs assessments.The council will ensure it keeps to Education, Health and Care timescales and provides rights of appeals at the earliest opportunity. It will consult a wide range of schools when need cannot be met locally without delay.It will provide regular updates to families when there are delays, for example in finding a suitable school.

  • Leeds City Council (22 013 225)

    Category: Education Date: 04-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complains the Council has delayed issuing her child, Y’s, Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, it failed to provide her with suitable provision and failed to properly investigate her complaint. There is fault by the Council that caused significant injustice to Y and Miss X. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to remedy the injustice Miss X and to Y.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its Local Offer to ensure it has enough mainstream schools, special schools and alternative provision to meet the needs of all children with special educational needs in its area.The Council will remind staff responsible for arranging and approving alternative provision for children and young people who are not receiving an education in school, to properly consider whether alternative provision should be provided to meet special educational needs set out in Education, Health and Care Plans.

  • Leeds City Council (22 004 115)

    Category: Education Date: 24-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Mr F complains his son, B, has been out of education for three years. The Council offered alternative schools in 2021, but appears to have ‘lost control’ of B’s education when it failed to review his Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan in May 2021. The Council then failed to follow up the plans it made to fund support in the home. B has been without suitable education for four terms as a result.

    Service improvements

    The Council will reflect on what went wrong in this case and report back to the Ombudsman and the relevant scrutiny committee at the Council on the actions it proposes to take to address any problems it identifies.

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