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.

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.