Case Ref: 24 021 237 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council will review how it retains records to ensure key documents are available when requested.
• The Council will remind relevant staff the importance of proper record keeping.

Case Ref: 24 019 391 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling, adhering to timescales and offering correct escalation rights.

Case Ref: 24 018 450 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will identify areas of staff shortages (including Educational Psychologists and other key officers). It will produce and provide the Ombudsman with an action plan outlining steps it has taken or intends to take to address these shortages.
• The Council will remind relevant officers, either through training or a briefing note, of the Council’s duties to consider its section 19 duty as soon as it is aware that a child is not attending school full-time. The Council will provide relevant officers with a copy of the Ombudsman's guidance Out of school, out of sight? published July 2022.

Case Ref: 24 017 448 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• • Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling and giving an escalation right.
• • Remind relevant staff of the Council duty to include provisions to assist in preparation for adulthood in EHC Plans from year nine.

Case Ref: 24 008 435 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• the Council has agreed to put in place, or strengthen, systems to ensure collection crews are aware of properties with assisted collections on their rounds, and what this involves in each case.
• the Council has agreed to put in place, or strengthen, systems to liaise with organisations that are planning large-scale roadworks to develop contingency plans to mitigate the impact of their work on waste collections, particularly assisted waste collections.

Case Ref: 24 007 933 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Land

• The Council has agreed to send a memo to all complaint handling staff reminding them stage one complaint responses should include details on how to escalate a complaint to the second stage of its complaints process.

Case Ref: 24 006 677 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• Review the way it considers overcrowding and bedroom need, and ensures relevant staff are aware of and take account of the statutory overcrowding standards.
• Ensure relevant staff signpost complainants to the correct ombudsman.

Case Ref: 23 016 019 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the low threshold to trigger the Council’s duty to make inquiries into possible homelessness and that where this threshold is met, the Council must issue a decision with a statutory right of review.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that inquiries into homelessness should include givingthe applicant the opportunity to provide relevant details and context.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that victims of domestic abuse may not disclose abuse directly or voluntarily and that officers should exhibit appropriate professional curiosity to explore the reasons for apparent reluctance or refusal to provide information.

Case Ref: 23 015 327 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Produce an action plan to demonstrate how the council will meet statutory timescales for annual reviews.
• Provide staff training to ensure they understand the legal framework and obligations in relation to the faults found.

Case Ref: 23 009 390 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind all relevant staff, including managers, of the Council’s duty to provide an education to children who are out of school (section 19 duty).
• The Council will remind all relevant staff, including managers, of the Council’s duty to provide the provision set out in Education, Health and Care plans to children who are out of school (section 42 duty).
• The Council will remind all relevant staff, including managers, of the Council’s duty to review Education, Health and Care plans within 12 months even if a child is out of school.
• The Council will remind all relevant staff, including managers, of the Council’s duty to decide whether or not to reassess an Education, Health and Care plan when asked to by a child’s parent, young person, or their educational placement. The Council must tell the child’s parent or young person whether it will complete an Education, Health and Care needs reassessment within 15 calendar days of receiving the request. If the decision is not to reassess, the Council must provide information about the right to appeal that decision to the tribunal.
• The Council will remind all staff in the special educational needs/Education, Health and Care plan team, including managers, of the Council’s complaints procedure and its expectations of complaint responses.