Case Ref: 22 007 443 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to develop a clear policy and procedure for supporting third parties with bid applications. This should include the development of service level agreements for both sides.

Case Ref: 21 004 690 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council also agrees that, within three months, it will provide evidence to the Ombudsman that it has reviewed its procedures for deciding requests for fee uplifts to ensure the process istransparent. It will issue guidance on the process setting out timescales and the need for a response to the request to be provided in writing as recommended by the commissioning manager at stage 2.

Case Ref: 21 002 400 Category: Housing Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to be clear about the basis for offering emergency accommodation both in its own records and in its communication with service users.

Case Ref: 21 001 503 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Fostering

• The Council will review its procedures for investigating concerns or allegations against people who work with children to ensure it makes a clear distinction between investigating allegation or discussing concerns and to ensure this is clearly communicated to the person under investigation or subject of the concerns. The procedures should also ensure the process to be followed is clearly communicated to the person under investigation or subject of concerns and they are promptly referred to independent support.

Case Ref: 20 013 084 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Trees

• Develop a (Council wide) policy on how to check with service users whether they need any reasonable adjustments, because of a disability, and to keep a record of how it agreed or disagreed with a request and communicated this to the service user.

Case Ref: 20 012 572 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will remind its staff they must issue invoices in accordance with its invoicing schedule.

Case Ref: 20 011 080 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Adoption

• The Council has agreed to review how it communicates with guardians of adopted children who are receiving discretionary payments, and make it clearer to them when payments may be withdrawn.
• The Council will review how it includes guardians of adopted children in the financial reassessment process and how it communicates with them about the decisions being made.
• The Council will review how it communicates with guardians of adopted children about their appeal rights for financial decisions.
• The Council will remind all staff about the right to an appeal for financial assessments.

Case Ref: 20 010 102 Category: Education Sub Category: COVID-19

• By training or other means, reminds panels and clerks of the need for panels to satisfy themselves the admission authority has made its case for prejudice and the effect of admitting another child to the school and for the clerk to record clear reasons for the panel’s decisions and these reasons are provided in the decision letter.