Case Ref: 25 000 811 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• remind officers to send written decision letter when remove an applicant form the housing register

Case Ref: 24 023 358 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will provide training to its officers so they are familiar with its new software system and address any gaps in knowledge in order to minimise or prevent complaint handling delays.

Case Ref: 24 021 867 Category: Education Sub Category: School admissions

• The Council will provide training or guidance to panel members and clerks to ensure they are aware of their responsibilities at stage one of the appeals process in accordance with the statutory guidance.

Case Ref: 24 016 161 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review its process for documenting Panel decisions to ensure it is meeting the requirements of the best administrative practice.

Case Ref: 24 016 101 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Share learning from this decision with the homelessness service
• Reiterate good practice to its homelessness service, as outlined in its own policy, about housing options for survivors of domestic abuse and the Councils role in assessing risk and safety for survivors
• Review actions taken by the Council that caused delay for Miss X in October 2023, in being placed in accommodation in a timely manner

Case Ref: 24 015 775 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will remind relevant staff by a staff circular, team meeting or training; the importance of producing a support plan following a care needs assessment. This includes where reablement has been identified as appropriate to meet assessed eligible needs;
• The Council will remind relevant staff by a staff circular, team meeting or training, that if the Council intends to use reablement services to inform a care needs assessment, it should pause the assessment and resume once the outcome of the reablement is known.

Case Ref: 24 015 597 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they complete a review of a service user’s carer’s assessment within 12 months of the previous one. If there are going to be delays staff should keep the service user informed.

Case Ref: 24 015 102 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to remind relevant staff of the need to check medical recommendations on file when making an offer of temporary accommodation to a homeless applicant. The Council must ensure any accommodation offered is in line with any recorded needs based on medical conditions or disabilities.
• The Council agreed to decide what actions it needs to take to change its processes or train staff, to ensure it checks temporary accommodation offered to homeless applicants already has adequate facilities to store and prepare food, before it moves in a family with children.
• The Council agreed to review how it confused two different complainants. It will decide what actions it needs to take to change its processes or train staff to prevent this in future cases.

Case Ref: 24 006 835 Category: Housing Sub Category: Private housing

• The Council was at fault in the way it responded to a complaint about landlord harassment. It has agreed to create and implement a policy regarding its powers to respond to complaints of harassment and illegal eviction and retaliatory evictions by private landlords. The policy should specify which team or teams are responsible for identifying potential victims, investigating, and providing information and advice.
• The Council was at fault in the way it recorded inspections of a privately rented house. It has agreed to put a plan in place to ensure an accurate record is prepared and kept of any inspection of aresidential premises, that includes a record of whether the Council considerany category 1 or 2 hazards exist. The plan will explain where the Council considers that a category 1 hazard exists; it musttake the appropriate enforcement action as laid out in section 5 of the HousingAct 2005.

Case Ref: 23 020 213 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council will review how it makes housing applicants aware of their review rights in cases of a one-time direct offer for rehousing, as well as how it assesses and records decisions about the suitability of accommodation before and after a property is offered. The Council will adopt measures to improve its service in these areas. This should include sending written information about an applicant’s review rights at the time of making a property offer, and when that right is engaged and expires.