Case Ref: 22 016 734 Category: Housing Sub Category: Private housing

• The Council will amend its procedural/process documentation to make clear to officers that although a telephone call to those who have reported private housing disrepair may be the most appropriate method of communication alternative methods should be considered when requested by the person making the report. The Council should then cascade that to all private sector housing staff.

Case Ref: 22 016 244 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• review its procedures to ensure people are notified when a financial assessment indicates they will be required to self-fund their care and care providers are promptly notified of a change in the financial arrangements of a care package.

Case Ref: 22 013 754 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• The Council was at fault for failing to send a council tax reminder or final notice when a member of the public began accruing arrears without her knowledge. The Council will review why it did not issue reminders or final notices to her from March 2021 onwards. If the Council identifies failings in its systems, it should draw up an action plan to rectify them.
• The Council will remind staff they should respond to contact from members of the public without delay. People should not be forced to submit a complaint to get an answer.

Case Ref: 22 013 235 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council will put in place a system to monitor the Care Provider's complaint response times to ensure complaints are dealt with promptly. This will be done at regular quality monitoring meetings.

Case Ref: 22 009 514 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Disabled children

• The Council agreed to provide the Ombudsman with a copy of its draft updated direct payments eligibility criteria which is currently under review. It will explain to the Ombudsman how it intends to apply the eligibility criteria for disabled children's services and direct payments, and make customers aware of the criteria in the interim before it publicises its revised policy

Case Ref: 22 003 968 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to reviewits procedures and tell the Ombudsman what it has done to ensure it:• complieswith Tribunal Orders for carrying EHC needs assessments and issuing final EHCPlans in the required timescale;• respondsto requests for EHC re-assessments and carries out the assessments in therequired timescale;• takesaccount of evidence provided about a child’s individual circumstances whenconsidering requests for professional advice as part of an EHC needs assessment,and explains its decisions to parents properly.

Case Ref: 22 000 473 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will complete a lessons learned review to ensure that where a complaint outcome includes actions at a subsequent review meeting these are properly recorded and fed back to the complainant.

Case Ref: 22 000 468 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will complete a lessons learned review to ensure that where a complaint outcome includes actions at a subsequent review meeting these are properly recorded and fed back to the complainant.

Case Ref: 22 000 114 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Disabled children

• The Council agreed to share a copy of our final decision with its Mayor’s cabinet members with portfolio responsibility for Education and Skills, and Adult and Children’s Social Care.
• The Council agreed to write to all families with children who are receiving short breaks through its Early Help service, to tell them:about the changes to the Council’s direct payments policy for disabled children following the review it agreed to carry out after the Ombudsman’s previous investigation;that they can now request a direct payment to arrange their short breaks if they wish to do so and the Council will consider this; andif they have previously requested a direct payment for short breaks and this was refused, they can complain to the Council and ask it to reconsider. We would expect the Council to give due consideration to the findings and recommendations in this decision statement when considering similar complaints.
• The Council agreed to review its procedures for Education, Health and Care plan reviews and issues reminders to relevant staff to ensure that following review meetings it issues the final amended plan within statutory timescales.
• The Council agreed to remind relevant staff:that statutory guidance and Council policy says single assessments under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 should be completed within 45 working days and the outcome communicated to the family in writing; andabout the Council’s duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 to assess parent carers on the ‘appearance of need’.
• The Council agreed to review its record keeping procedures and issue reminders to staff across Special Educational Needs, Children’s Social Care, Early Help, and Disabled Children’s teams to ensure:it keeps accurate, consistent, and properly organised records for each child; andit clearly and consistently records short breaks provision, so families are clear through what route their child has been assessed as requiring short breaks.

Case Ref: 21 018 579 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The task group that is looking at complaint handling will carry out a formal lesson learned from this complaint which will include a review of the response on the temporary traffic regulation order process. The Council will share the results of the lessons learned with the Ombudsman.