Case Ref: 24 005 369 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• By training or other means, remind officers that they should promptly review an applicants’ housing options following a council’s failure to respond to, or refusal to accept, a Section 213 reciprocal agreement to determine if the council should approach other councils.

Case Ref: 24 004 548 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will ensure a copy of our final decision is considered by the Children’s Policy Development & Scrutiny committee and Portfolio Holder and share a copy of our final decision with all relevant staff, to include dealing with ceasing EHC Plans and transition from EHC Plans to Adult Social Care.

Case Ref: 24 004 058 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Licensing

• Within one month of the date of my final decision, the Council has agreed to circulate guidance to staff in its housing enforcement team, to remind them of the importance of keeping detailed notes, particularly around inspections and decisions whether to take enforcement action.

Case Ref: 24 002 318 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• Review how the Council will ensure that it tells complainants of their stage three rights at the end of stage two and remind complaint handling staff that complainants have the right to request a stage three review panel if they remain unhappy.

Case Ref: 24 001 796 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council agreed to provide the Ombudsman with evidence of the training it has delivered to its Spedical Educational Needs (SEN) Transport Team to ensure it follows its processes when considering any suspensions from its SEN transport in future.

Case Ref: 24 001 450 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review six cases from 2023 and 2024 where we found similar fault with Education, Health, and Care Plan timescales, and recommended reminders to its staff. It will:produce a dated action plan of how it will avoid recurrence of the same faults by making changes to practice and procedure or staff training; and report this review outcome and action plan to its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Governance Board so it can decide how progress against the plan should be monitored.

Case Ref: 23 020 783 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• Share this decision with relevant staff and remind them that the Council remains responsible for repairs in temporary accommodation.

Case Ref: 23 018 894 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will circulate this decision to remind staff dealing with homelessness applications of the circumstances in which the main housing duty should apply and where review rights should be offered.

Case Ref: 23 016 427 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council should review its guidance for staff and processes to ensure EHC Plan needs assessments are completed on time.

Case Ref: 23 015 108 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to take action to ensure officers send people copies of their care and support plans.
• The Council has agreed to take action to ensure its care and support plans meet the requirements of the Care & Support Statutory Guidance.