Case Ref: 24 010 652 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Commercial and contracts

• Review its processes to ensure there are no ongoing delays to issuing accurate invoices.
• Review its payment collection processes and consider explicitly attributing specific invoice numbers to collected sums to facilitate accurate reconciliation and accounting.

Case Ref: 24 000 164 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council should remind relevant staff by way of a staff circular, team meeting or other suitable method, about the following:a) the importance of involving an advocate as early as possible when there are safeguarding issues about a person who lacks capacity and has no one appropriate to help them; andb) the importance of communicating decisions about safeguarding.

Case Ref: 24 005 252 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind its SEND staff of the Council’s duty to provide all the special educational needs provision set out in a child, or young persons, Education, Health, and Care plans without delay. This includes circumstances where it has delegated or commissioned this to be delivered by other professionals.

Case Ref: 24 003 956 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Within 8 weeks of my decision, the Council has agreed to:d) Identify learning from this complaint to ensure that a contingency plan is in place for unforeseen staff absences.

Case Ref: 24 000 037 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its protocol or internal guidance for transferring EHC Plans when a child moves out of its area to make sure this is clear and complies with the SEN Regulations. It should then share the protocol with staff, or if it decides that a separate protocol is not needed remind staff that the SEN Regulations has a strict timeframe for this.
• Share the final decision statement with relevant staff.

Case Ref: 23 019 872 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council agreed to share our decision with relevant staff members and remind them that if there are likely delays in the review process the Council can ask the complainant for an extension which must be done before the original due date of the review and must be done in writing.

Case Ref: 23 016 591 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will remind officers of the requirements set out in statutory guidance and its own transport policy, concerning how it must conduct both stages of the transport appeals procedure.

Case Ref: 23 016 288 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council agrees to issue a reminder to relevant Housing Team staff to ensure they clearly explain the reasons for decisions about housing register applications so applicants can challenge these decisions if necessary.

Case Ref: 23 014 962 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council should remind staff of the importance of carrying out safeguarding enquiries when care home residents are at risk of harm.

Case Ref: 23 014 835 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review its procedures for monitoring Education Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments and preparing EHC plans to ensure it complies with the required legal timescales.