Case Ref: 24 009 793 Category: Education Sub Category: School admissions

• The Council has agreed to remind Panel members and staff who deal with deferred entry requests of the requirements set out in the Admissions Code and relevant guidance. It should also provide those staff with a copy of this decision statement.
• The Council will also take action to ensure decision letters include a meaningful analysis of why the Council has reached a decision about what is in the best interests of the specific child

Case Ref: 24 009 675 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Provide a written briefing to officers in its homelessness team regarding the importance of retaining accurate records of the actions/decisions taken by the Council regarding homelessness applications.
• Remind officers of the Council’s duty to make inquiries into what, if any, duties it owes someone contacting the council who gives a reason to believe they may be homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days.
• Remind staff of the Council’s duty to secure interim accommodation for an applicant whilst it carries out an assessment if there is reason to believe they may be eligible, homeless and in priority need.

Case Ref: 24 008 427 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Review its processes to establish why Miss X was not provided with continuing interim accommodation up to 13 May, and provide an action plan identifying any necessary changes to ensure there is no repetition of these circumstances.
• Provide guidance to staff to ensure that homelessness applicants who the Council accepts a duty to provide interim accommodation for, are in receipt of a placement in such accommodation.
• Provide an action plan showing how all outstanding statutory reviews will be completed within maximum timescales.
• Provide guidance to staff to ensure that statutory reviews are completed within the maximum timescales.
• Provide guidance to staff to provide full and relevant complaint responses.

Case Ref: 24 006 914 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to share a copy of this decision with staff in homelessness, allocations, andtenancy management to identify the learning from this complaint.
• The Council has agreed to produce a protocol for joint working and information sharing among housing allocations, homelessness, and tenancy management, including what should happen when an existing tenant needs to leave their home or the borough. It will provide training to all relevant staff on the agreed procedures and include the protocol in any induction or training of new staff.
• The Council has agreed to review the factsheet previously produced for secure tenants who need to leavetheir homes due to risk of violence and update it as required. It will share this withstaff in homelessness, allocations, tenancy management and with any other relevantstakeholders, such as housing associations and tenancy managementorganisations. It will ensure the factsheet is accessible to the staff who need it andconsider publishing it on the Council’s website or otherwise publicising it totenants.

Case Ref: 24 003 551 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to:Identify the action it is going to take to ensure it communicates with people about the charges for their care;Introduce policies and procedures on charging legal costs and interest on unpaid care charges.

Case Ref: 24 003 541 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Demonstrate how, in the future, it will progress homelessness applications including better communication and timeliness of decisions.
• Demonstrate how in the future, it will keep the suitability of interim and temporary accommodation under review.

Case Ref: 24 009 478 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• Remind staff of timescales as set out in the children’s statutory complaints procedure.
• Remind staff to complete recommendations agreed by the Council as part of the statutory children’s complaints procedure within the agreed timescales.

Case Ref: 24 006 548 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will review its main housing duty decision letters to ensure they give clear information about a person's right to ask for a statutory review of the suitability of their temporary accommodation.

Case Ref: 24 006 071 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Remind staff of the Council’s duty to people living in unsuitable accommodation.
• Provide guidance to all relevant staff on the actions the Council should take to source alternative accommodation. This guidance should include recording the actions the Council takes.

Case Ref: 24 004 791 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to ensure it considers the suitability of temporary accommodation in response to complaints of disrepair, including damp and mould, and issues a written decision setting out the applicant's right to ask for a suitability review. It will provide training or guidance as needed.
• The Council agreed to arrange a meeting between a senior Council manager responsible for procurement and management of temporary accommodation and a senior representative from the managing agent to discuss our findings. They should identify ways to improve liaison, information-sharing and performance monitoring to ensure the agent meets the timescales and service standards in the agreement.
• The Council agreed to monitor the managing agent’s performance against the service level agreement for three months from the date of our final decision. It is up to the Council how it chooses to conduct this monitoring. If the Council decides not to physically inspect all properties, it should consider identifying and inspecting properties with repeated reports of disrepair from occupants.