Case Ref: 24 009 635 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to consider what changes it needs to make to ensure officers, including locum members of staff, are aware of the scope to exercise discretion over using direct payments to employ a close family member living in the same household as a personal assistant.

Case Ref: 24 002 363 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• The Council will provide an update on the lessons learnt actions it has agreed to take.

Case Ref: 23 019 082 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Noise

• Remind staff in writing to confirm to complainants the outcome of investigations into whether a statutory nuisance has occurred.

Case Ref: 23 011 518 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• Provide the Ombudsman with confirmation as to what changes it has made to its communication process for Disabled Facilities Grants, following the review it carried out after this complaint.

Case Ref: 23 009 491 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council should create a policy on managing the cases of children with Education Health and Care Plans who receive Education Other Than At School or are Electively Home Educated and provide training to officers in the inclusion and special educational needs teams on it.

Case Ref: 23 004 393 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review its procedures for:• responding to, and recording decisions on, requests for a change inpriority banding; and• notifying applicants of the outcome of their requests and their right to ask for a review.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures for:• assessing criteria for Band B in cases of unsuitable conditions inprivately rented properties; and• information sharing between its housing standards and housing standards teams in these cases.

Case Ref: 22 007 579 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to provide safeguarding refresher training to relevant adult social care staff.

Case Ref: 22 001 690 Category: Housing Sub Category: Private housing

• The Council has agreed to share this decision statement with relevant staff in the Private Sector Housing Team to reinforce the learning exercise the Council has already completed.

Case Ref: 21 018 593 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council should complete its review of its home to school transport policy and write to the Ombudsman explaining how it now complies with the statutory guidance.

Case Ref: 20 014 177 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to continue its work with the Care Provider to ensure new policies and procedures are implemented to protect residents' personal belongings and valuables effectively, and that people are alerted to these on admission.