Service improvements

London Borough of Haringey

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 1 - 6 of 6 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for London Borough of Haringey as a CSV file.

  • London Borough of Haringey (23 009 249)

    Category: Housing Date: 21-Feb-2024

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for the time taken to move Ms X into suitable accommodation. This caused injustice as Ms X has remained in accommodation which was unsuitable for her. The Council agreed to apologise to Ms X and make a payment to recognise the time she spent in unsuitable accommodation.

    Service improvements

    Issue a reminder to staff that complaints about the condition and suitability of temporary accommodation should be signposted to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, not the Housing Ombudsman.

  • London Borough of Haringey (23 004 816)

    Category: Housing Date: 02-Jan-2024

    Summary

    Mr B complained the Council did not properly support his family and his Autistic children when they were evicted. He also complained they were placed in bed and breakfast accommodation and they had to move between hotels frequently. We found there was fault by the Council and the provision of bed and breakfast accommodation for his family represented service failure. We recommend an apology, a payment and a review of the Council’s processes regarding temporary accommodation provision.

    Service improvements

    The Council should review how it takes account of its Equality Act duties when considering the suitability of temporary accommodation for homeless families. It should present a report to the Council’s Cabinet to show what has been considered as part of this review and what steps will be taken to ensure Equality Act duties are properly considered when making decisions about temporary accommodation in future.

  • London Borough of Haringey (23 003 676)

    Category: Housing Date: 13-Nov-2023

    Summary

    The complainant, who I will refer to as Miss B, complained the Council delayed accepting the main housing duty when she and her child became homeless. She also complained the interim accommodation it gave them was unsuitable and it delayed moving them to new accommodation. Miss B said this has caused her stress and financial hardship, and negatively affected her health and her child’s education. We found the Council delayed deciding whether to accept the main housing duty and placed Miss B and her child in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Miss B for the injustice caused and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    Remind housing staff the duty to provide interim accommodation arises when the Council has ‘reason to believe’ an applicant is homeless and in priority need, not when it had confirmed this.Remind housing staff the relief duty lasts 56 days and at this point, the Council must decide if it owes homelessness applicants the main housing duty.Review its procurement policy to reduce the use of B&B accommodation and increase the supply of other types of temporary accommodation.

  • London Borough of Haringey (23 002 189)

    Category: Housing Date: 08-Feb-2024

    Summary

    The Council did not contact Ms X’s landlord and did not tell Ms X it would rehouse her a few days before deciding she was not homeless. However, Hthe Council failed to consider relevant information when making this decision. It took too long to deal with Ms X’s request for a review and provided conflicting information about complaints. These faults caused Ms X avoidable uncertainty and distress. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Ms X, and act to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that when deciding whether accommodation is reasonable to continue occupying, officers can and should consider any relevant information or circumstances of the applicant.The Council has agreed to review the advice and information available to staff responsible for dealing with complaints to ensure they can identify matters not subject to statutory homelessness reviews and so avoid delaying investigating complaints.

  • London Borough of Haringey (22 014 459)

    Category: Housing Date: 06-Jul-2023

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council did not fairly assess her banding and bedroom needs when she sought a review. We find the Council was at fault for failing to consider all relevant evidence and follow its policy. The Council will apologise for the injustice caused, carry out a new review and carry out service improvements to prevent the fault reoccurring.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind staff to give proper scrutiny to any relevant supporting evidence and explain their reasons for not relying on evidence where they decide not to.

  • London Borough of Haringey (22 005 648)

    Category: Housing Date: 01-May-2023

    Summary

    The Council wrongly prevented Miss B from bidding for properties on its housing register and made direct offers of properties which were unsuitable. It also failed to carry out a medical assessment after Miss B said that she was disabled and her accommodation was unsuitable for her needs. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Miss B, offer Miss B the next available suitable property and take action to prevent similar failings in future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review its record-keeping to ensure it keeps complete records of all contact, action and decisions on housing applicant’s files.The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that tenants waiting for a direct offer are regularly updated, and are not prevented from bidding without good cause.

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