Case Ref: 24 022 279 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to consider whether the section 19 duty is triggered for children who are not attending school full time and are struggling with attendance.
• The Council agreed to ensure it has processes in place to monitor and review the progress of children who are not attending school, or are on part-time timetables, especially where it decides to proceed with an Education, Health and Care needs assessment.

Case Ref: 24 017 715 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Review its procedures to ensure that annual reviews of current EHC Plans are carried out within the timescales set out in the law.

Case Ref: 24 017 661 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council agreed that it would review how it can strengthen its response where one of its users of care services experiences distress as a result of the actions of another. It agreed that review would consider making recommendations for improving its policy, procedures or the awareness of relevant employees. The review would cover:a) considering if the Council used its powers to safeguard adults from abuse sufficiently in such cases; b) whether it sufficiently considered such cases through the perspective of the victim of any disruptive or aggressive behaviour; c) whether it could do more to encourage social workers to draw up action plans to tackle problem behaviour and monitor their effectiveness;d) considering, where applicable, if it should use its power to end licence agreements in cases where a user of services in supported living accommodation it provides breaches a ‘good behaviour’ clause in its licence.

Case Ref: 24 015 606 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• •Remind the relevant officers that any policies, guidance or eligibility criteria the Council applies, should be in writing and not verbal only.

Case Ref: 24 014 118 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transport

• The Council will remind relevant staff to ensure clear and consistent communication is provided to blue badge applicants regarding delays, when appeal rights can be exercised, and next steps in the assessment process.

Case Ref: 24 013 895 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to remind officers the duty to provide interim accommodation arises as soon as it has reason to believe an applicant may be eligible for assistance, homeless and in priority need;
• The Council has agreed to ensure officers always carry out a suitability assessment to identify the applicant and their household’s needs before making a placement in interim or temporary accommodation
• The Council has agreed to remind officers of the need to make and retain records of contact with applicants about offers of interim accommodation and their response
• The Council has agreed to review its policy and/or training to officers about its duty to securesuitable interim accommodation in accordance with Chapters 15, 16 and 17 of theHomelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities.

Case Ref: 24 012 017 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to decide what changes are needed to its Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan processes, or staff training, to ensure it has systems in place to:check special educational needs provision is in place when it issues a new or substantially different EHC Plan, or there is a change in educational setting; andproperly investigate complaints or concerns that provision is not in place at any time.

Case Ref: 24 006 945 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to send written reminders to relevant staff of the Council’s responsibilities under Section 19 of the Education Act. With these reminders, it should share a copy of our “Out of school, out of sight? focus report, highlighting key points to ensure officers are aware of the factors they should consider when aware a child is not accessing full time education.

Case Ref: 24 000 225 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• the Council will consider introducing an alternative education policy to help officers make decisions about when alternative education should be provided;
• ensure its special educational needs officers are aware that it has the power, in certain circumstances, to direct certain schools to admit a pupil with an Education, Health and Care plan;
• ensure it meets the special educational needs of pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan, who are out of school, and monitors their progress;
• ensure its officers check the suitability of the education for electively educated pupils;
• ensure adoptive parents or carers who take on the responsibility of previously looked after children are aware of the Virtual School Head, and how they can contact for advice and information on school matters.

Case Ref: 24 010 616 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to provide relevant officers with training on chapters 6 and 18 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance. This guidance sets out how authorities should consider whether it is reasonable for an individual to continue to occupy their existing accommodation. This guidance also sets out the need to issue written decisions about an applicant's homelessness, explaining the reasons for adverse decisions.