Case Ref: 20 009 614 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Remind relevant staff of low threshold for accepting homelessness applications
• Complete quality review of a sample of records to check information has been fully recorded
• Review internal procedure to ensure regular quality monitoring of a sample of records for all housing officers takes place

Case Ref: 20 009 004 Category: Housing Sub Category: Private housing

• The Council will remind officers who investigate complaints that the Council is responsible for any errors or omissions by contractors who carry out functions on its behalf.

Case Ref: 20 003 839 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Antisocial behaviour

• The Council agreed to review its policy on dealing with noise nuisance complaints to ensure it properly considers its use of discretion to investigate noise nuisance complaints which may fall outside its current policy requirements.

Case Ref: 18 016 503 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council will carry out training for social workers on section 20 placements and what that means in terms of involving those with parental responsibility in decision-making, particularly around contact.
• The Council will carry out training for social workers on the procedure to follow when concerns have been raised about treatment of young people in placements.
• The Council will remind officers of the need to ensure detailed case recordings are made to explain the Council’s decision-making when identifying a suitable placement, including a record of why alternative placements have not been considered appropriate.

Case Ref: 20 005 986 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council agrees to remind staff dealing with statutory children’s services complaints of: • The relevant timeframes for each stage and importance of adhering to these. • The importance of communicating with the complainant about delays and requests for extensions. • The process for early referrals to the Ombudsman and the limited circumstances when this should be considered.

Case Ref: 20 002 454 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Housing benefit and council tax benefit

• The Council has agreed to review its processes for calculating housing benefit where a family occupies more than one room or where there is more than one rent account generated.

Case Ref: 20 000 910 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to: • confirm that the templates currently used for homelessness review decision letters include the required information about appeal rights; • provide evidence it has a system to monitor review requests to meet appropriate statutory timescales and, where officers need to request extensions, the applicant’s agreement is recorded in the case records; • remind officers of the requirement to complete and record a suitability of accommodation assessment, and take this into account, before making offers of accommodation and deciding whether to end the prevention duty.

Case Ref: 19 020 245 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• The Council will review its processes to ensure its contractor keeps proper records, particularly in relation to Occupational Therapy assessments and site visits.
• The Council will review its processes to ensure its contractor prepares a detailed specification of works for all disabled facilities grants and shares this with the applicant.
• The Council will review its processes to ensure its contractor consults appropriately with families and professionals to make sure works meet the needs of the disabled person.
• The Council will review its processes to ensure that where its contractor encounters difficulties in completing works, there is a clear criteria and process for referring the case to the Council so the Council can consider what action, if any, it needs to take to address the issues.
• The Council will review its processes to ensure there is a single point of contact for disabled facilities grant applicants to raise concerns so they can be addressed without having to go through the corporate complaints process.

Case Ref: 19 016 717 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to provide evidence of its amended promotional material for a venue which advises that the outside space at the venue is public open space which may be used for organised events.

Case Ref: 19 013 748 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council will reflect on the issues raised in this decision statement and identify any areas of service improvement. The Council should prepare a short report setting out what the Council intends to do to ensure similar problems not reoccur. This report should be sent to the Ombudsman.