Case Ref: 24 007 343 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will share a copy of our decision and the Ombudsman’s Focus Report “Out ofschool, out of sight?” with relevant officers, to highlight good practice andidentify wider points of learning.

Case Ref: 24 001 324 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Within one month of the date of the Ombudsmen’s final decision statement, the Council has agreed it will confirm the steps it has taken to remind staff about the need to follow the steps in its complaints policy, particularly about working with other organisations and with signposting to the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 24 013 530 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of providing as much information as possible about the likely costs of adult social care at the time they arrange the care and ensuring the make a full record of the advice and information given.

Case Ref: 24 009 142 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to consider if there is a systemic issue with delay in completing annual reviews and advise the Ombudsman if this is the case and if so, what steps the Council intends to take to ensure reviews are completed within statutory timescales.

Case Ref: 24 001 615 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Within three months of my final decision statement, the Council will explain what action it will take to ensure it offers a choice of discharge locations to people and their families, in line with the relevant legislation and guidance; andensure discharge decisions properly take into account the wishes of the person and their families; andproperly record the reasons for any discharge decisions, ensuring this includes the individual circumstances of each case and the reasons if a choice cannot be offered.
• Within three months of my final decision statement, the Council will explain what action it will take to ensure the Care Home takes appropriate action to clarify a person’s dietary requirements as soon as there are any concerns raised; andensure the Care Home properly considered all relevant information when designing an appropriate pressure care plan

Case Ref: 23 019 093 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• By training or otherwise remind relevant staff of the importance of arranging and securing any agreed personal budgets in a timely manner where provisions agreed in an Education, Health and Care Plans are to be delivered on the school or college premises.

Case Ref: 23 017 894 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• Review the Council’s systems and practice to ensure it completes financial assessments in a timely manner.
• By training or other means remind relevant staff they must issue service users with written record of the financial assessment outcome at an early stage which clearly sets out their assessed contributions towards their care and details of how the payments will be made.
• Remind relevant staff of the importance and need to issue care cost invoices to service users, their families and/or representatives in a timely manner and as soon as practicable after they start receiving care.

Case Ref: 23 015 739 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council will send a reminder to officers about the need to confirm decisions, such as those relating to when Court of Protection proceedings have been discontinued, in writing.

Case Ref: 23 014 360 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will remind relevant staff that financial assessments to inform adult social care charging decisions should be completed in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 23 013 577 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will provide a copy of the updated guidance for professionals about referrals.
• The Council will provide a copy of the minutes of the meeting held on 3 April 2024 in which the Council shared learning about information sharing and anonymity. If the Council does not hold any minutes, it should place the item on the agenda for the next manager’s meeting and provide the respective minutes.
• The Council will deliver a staff training session, or a comprehensive briefing paper, to all staff responsible for dealing with and acting upon referrals relating to child protection. The staff training/briefing paper should focus on the Council’s responsibilities around information sharing as outlined in the published procedures.