Case Ref: 23 007 177 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Remind staff to adhere to the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, specifically regarding the undertaking of care and support plan reviews at least every 12 months

Case Ref: 23 005 815 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Remind staff to ensure they provide all relevant information to homelessness applicants about the services and support available to them.

Case Ref: 23 004 676 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind officers of the Council's duty to secure the special educational provision specified in an EHC Plan, in line with Section 42 of the Children and Families Act and the SEN Code of Practice.
• The Council will remind officers of the correct procedure for reviewing and amending EHC Plans, set out in the SEN Code of Practice. The Council will also remind officers the Code says decisions to cease or maintain an EHC Plan must provide a right of appeal to the SEND Tribunal.

Case Ref: 22 015 696 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• The Council agreed to review and identify why it failed to act on the Valuation Tribunal’s notification of the hearing and act to ensure this cannot be repeated in future.
• The Council agreed to review and identify why a full package of documents was not sent to the Valuation Tribunal and act to ensure this failure cannot be repeated in the future.

Case Ref: 22 014 452 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Other

• The Council will amend its processes as needed to ensure it signposts to the Ombudsman as appropriate upon any final response (i.e. whether given under the complaint process or at service level).

Case Ref: 22 011 533 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that decisions about priority on the housing register, including assessment of new information or changes in circumstances, carry a statutory right of review and that all such decisions should be communicated to the applicant in writing and explain the review rights.
• The Council has agreed to review and amend the allocations scheme to make clear how the Council assesses housing need for applicants with overnight staying contact with their children.

Case Ref: 22 007 433 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to keep parents updated about the outcome of school consultations and respond to reasonable requests for information about school consultation outcomes.

Case Ref: 22 005 857 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• The Council will review its policy of refusing internal adaptations if access to a property could not be made safe.

Case Ref: 22 000 387 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council will remind its complaints team to signpost complainants to the Ombudsman where appropriate.

Case Ref: 22 000 345 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council has agreed to remind care providers of the provisions within the contract which states: “in the absence of such consent by the Commissioner, or the lack of appropriate provision to meet the needs of the Service User, the Provider shall continue to deliver the previously commissioned Service for the Service User.” This is to ensure service users are not left without appropriate care/support provision while the Council is looking for alternative provision following a care provider’s notice to terminate its contract.