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: 23 016 591 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.

Case Ref: 23 001 653 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind relevant staff to issue a final amended Education, Health and Care Plan within 12 weeks of an annual review meeting in line with statutory guidance and case law.
• The Council will remind relevant staff responding to complaints to be clear on whether it upholds a complaint or not, and where it has found fault in its own actions, to consider the impact of that fault and how to remedy any injustice.

Case Ref: 23 000 772 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• Remind relevant staff that council tenants can apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant, and ensure that any guidance to staff is clear on this.

Case Ref: 23 015 900 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to review its procedures for processing and recording homeless applications to ensure it meets its statutory duties and correctly records the dates of:application;its acceptance of the relief duty; andits decision about priority need, and whether it owes a duty to provide interim accommodation.
• The Council agreed to issue reminders to relevant staff in its housing and homelessness teams about the need to:properly inform applicants when the Council accepts the prevention duty;produce a personalised housing plan (PHP) when the Council accepts the prevention duty, share this with the applicant, and tell them of their right to request a review of parts of the PHP;update an applicant’s PHP when the Council accepts the relief duty, share the updated PHP with the applicant, and tell them of their right to request a review of parts of the PHP; andensure information in communications to applicants is accurate, and clearly sets out any duties accepted.

Case Ref: 23 008 799 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• Remind staff to adhere to the Council’s procedures and the principles of good administrative practice, specifically to maintain comprehensive, accurate records relating to LADO service decisions.
• Remind staff that where referrals to the LADO service are made by parents, to ensure it provides appropriate outcome notifications where required.