Case Ref: 20 001 052 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will send a memo to officers responsible for carrying out age assessments to remind them to follow the guidance and, where it is decided the guidance should not be followed, to keep a record of the reasons why.
• The Council will provide evidence to the Ombudsman that the Council has undertaken training to address the failure to make an NRM referral in this case.

Case Ref: 20 000 835 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Within one month of the date of our final decision, the Council will ensure relevant staff and the Home are reminded of their duties under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their duties to consider reasonable adjustments.

Case Ref: 20 000 588 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council should review how it provides education for those who, under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, are unable to attend school or are unable to provide the required specialist medical evidence. It should consider whether further procurement is needed to allow more than one set of provision to offer education to such children to bridge the gap in its services.
• The Council should amend its policy to include circumstances for when referrals to a specialist school is not accepted. This should include its duty under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to provide alternative provision if a child who by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise may not for any period receive suitable education unless arrangements are made for them.

Case Ref: 19 019 636 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Drainage

• The Council will review its reporting procedures to ensure it provides clear information about the responsibility for any particular watercourse when responding to reports.
• The Council will review its record keeping procedures to ensure an adequate and contemporaneous record is made of meetings.
• The Council will review its complaint procedure to ensure a written response is provided when a person escalates their complaint.

Case Ref: 19 015 801 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will remind staff of their duty to provide clear and transparent information about care charges.

Case Ref: 19 004 508 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to issue guidance to its SEN team on the timescales for issuing decisions on EHC plans.
• The Council has agreed to review its processes to ensure it can meet the timescales for issuing decisions on EHC plans.
• The Council has agreed to issue guidance to its Education Welfare team on the Council’s duty to arrange alternative education when a child is absent from school.
• The Council has agreed to remind its social care team that parent’s views of a social care assessment should be sought and included in assessments before they are completed.

Case Ref: 18 015 002 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council will review its processes to ensure it considers complaints under the children's statutory complaints process within the statutory timescales.