Case Ref: 22 015 039 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to amend all templates for reviewable homelessness decision letters to include details of the email address to which applicants can send review requests.
• The Council has agreed, when acknowledging a review request, whether by automated email reply or otherwise, to include information about the review process and timescales, including the applicant’s right to go to court if the Council fails to meet the statutory deadline.
• The Council has agreed to identify and implement a process to enable the Council to pick up and deal with time-sensitive contacts when an officer is off sick or on leave.
• The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to all front-line staff to ensure contacts which express dissatisfaction are directed through the correct process, whether this be the Council’s complaint policy or the relevant statutory process.

Case Ref: 22 014 970 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transport

• The Council will remind officers in its Mobility Support Team that, when a decision to refuse a blue badge application is made, it should write to the applicant and provide a detailed explanation of the grounds for refusal.

Case Ref: 22 014 062 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Noise

• The Council will remind officers of the need to consider whether noise recording equipment should be installed where diary sheets show intermittent noise and make a note where officers decide this is not necessary.

Case Ref: 22 013 602 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will provide guidance to staff working in Adult Social Care to ensure they understand the Council’s duty to meet eligible care needs unless a carer is willing and able to do so.

Case Ref: 22 012 077 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its processes to ensure relevant staff are reminded to keeps parents appropriately informed as to the progress of Education, Health, Care needs assessments.
• The Council will review its processes to ensure it issues final Education, Health, and Care Plans within statutory timescales and minimises delays, sending guidance to appropriate staff members.

Case Ref: 22 011 432 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to provide training / reminders to relevant staff of the need to to keep the suitability of accommodation under review and to respond to relevant changes in circumstances which may affect the suitability. Staff should be reminded of the need to document reviews and record decisions.

Case Ref: 22 002 278 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to remind its officers of the timescales set out in the Homelessness Code of Guidance for making homelessness enquiries and ending the relief housing duty.
• The Council will remind officers it has an onging duty to consider whether temporary accommodation provided to homeless individuals remains suitable for their needs, accounting for any changes in the person's circumstances.
• The Council will remind officers that offers of temporary accommodation, made under the main housing duty, are decisions that should be made in writing. It will also remind officers these decision letters should clearly set out the applicant's right to appeal.

Case Ref: 22 001 023 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide training to all relevant staff about the Council’s duties in relation to s19 alternative education provision and their responsibilities in respect of this, including awareness of issues around neuro diversity, autism/PDA and ADHD.

Case Ref: 21 015 477 Category: Housing Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to keep a proper record of how they consider whether an applicant is in priority need, including whether they are vulnerable.
• The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to make appropriate enquiries with children's social care where an applicant is seeking to add a child to their housing application so it can consider whether to make an exception to its usual position that it will not do so unless the parent is the child's primary carer. If it declines to make an exception it should set out its reasons in writing.
• The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to issue formal decision letters with appropriate information about rights of review and appeal, in line with relevant law and guidance.

Case Ref: 22 005 826 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council should tell the Ombudsman what action it will take to avoid repeated failures in this case.
• Remind relevant officers of the importance of record keeping, PHP reviews and communication of decisions in writing with review rights included.
• • Remind relevant officers of the importance of record keeping, PHP reviews and communication of decisions in writing with review rights included.