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.

Case Ref: 23 013 051 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Disabled children

• The Council will ensure all social workers and family support workers including those working within child protection are aware of the law and guidance concerning disabled children and able to assess or refer for assessment for services under S.17 Children Act and S.2 Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act.

Case Ref: 23 012 792 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will ensure a copy of our final decision is considered by the the Local Area SEND and Inclusion Board; and share a copy of our final decision with all staff dealing with EHC Plans and complaints about these.

Case Ref: 22 011 335 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to remind its education staff that, when arranging alternative education for children unable to attend school, they should consider how much education to arrange and keep adequate records of who they make that decision.
• The Council agreed to review how it monitors and records complaints to ensure it issues responses to all formal complaints, even if it believes the issues have been resolved.

Case Ref: 23 008 735 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council agreed to review procedures to ensure there are processes in place to follow up suggestions discussed, such as the 1:1 travel arrangement and control measures and are acted on and investigated promptly.
• The Council agreed to ensure officers are reminded case conference notes need to be made and retained showing evidence considered, the decision, and the reasons for the decision.
• The Council agreed to review procedures so parents and schools are given feedback from staff at the time they have concerns about a child’s transport arrangements.
• The Council agreed to remind staff who have concerns about a child’s transport arrangements to record them and raise them with a manager promptly.
• The Council agreed to review why the complaint made in April was not acknowledged or actioned so this cannot be repeated in the future.The Council agreed to provide us with an update about its review of transport teams, the introduction of the ‘link’ meetings to improve communications, and the introduction of new software in the Transport Service.

Case Ref: 23 004 123 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its systems and practices relating to how it deals with personal budget requests. The Council should refer to the Ombudsman’s focus report ‘Parent power: learning from complaints about personal budgets’

Case Ref: 23 002 322 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• 1. The Council has agreed to ensure the care provider’s staff are trained in record keeping, pressure area care, and identification and escalation of health concerns. It will report back the outcome of its monitoring of the care provider.

Case Ref: 22 015 597 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Review staff training to ensure all relevant staff understand the importance of precisely adhering to the text within working documents agreed at a Special Educational Needs Tribunal.