Service improvements

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council as a CSV file.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (24 008 435)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 17-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council repeatedly failed to collect her waste. We found the Council at fault in relation to the missed collections which caused Ms X avoidable frustration, distress, and inconvenience. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment for the injustice caused, and take action to prevent future recurrence of the issue.

    Service improvements

    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.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (24 007 933)

    Category: Other Categories Date: 10-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council misrepresented the fees and process involved in her buying council owned land next to her home. She also complained it took too long to consider her request and her complaint. We found fault by the Council which caused Ms X uncertainty. The Council agreed to apologise to Ms X and make her payment in recognition of the injustice caused to her.

    Service improvements

    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.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (24 006 677)

    Category: Housing Date: 21-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council has incorrectly assessed her priority on the housing register and failed to properly consider the extent of their overcrowding and how many bedrooms her family is short of their assessed need. The Council’s failure to have proper regard to the statutory overcrowding standards in this instance is fault. As is the significant delay in responding to Miss X’s complaint. These faults have caused an injustice. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss X, make her a payment and re-assess her request for increased priority. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    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.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (23 016 019)

    Category: Housing Date: 18-Aug-2024

    Summary

    The Council’s failure to decide whether it owed Mr X a homelessness duty in 2022 was fault. It failed to recognise that he was homeless because of domestic abuse and failed to provide interim accommodation. The Council has agreed to apologise, backdate Mr X’s housing application, make a payment and act to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    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.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (23 015 327)

    Category: Education Date: 19-Jun-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council has not dealt properly with her son Y’s Special Educational Needs (SEN). The Council is at fault because it did not hold an annual review properly. Y lost education provision and Mrs X was denied the ability to appeal to Tribunal. The Council should apologise, Pay Mrs X £6000 for lost education provision, £400 for her time and trouble and avoidable distress, make a decision about incurred costs, provide an action plan and staff training.

    Service improvements

    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.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (23 009 390)

    Category: Education Date: 18-Dec-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council failed to provide her child with an education, delayed issuing and reviewing an education, health and care plan, and handled her complaint poorly. Miss X said this meant her child’s needs were not met, they lost out on education, and it caused distress, frustration, and upset. We find the Council at fault, and this caused injustice. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Miss X, make an additional monthly payment for each month of delay reviewing the plan, and improve its service.

    Service improvements

    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.

  • Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (23 005 486)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Apr-2024

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council failed to secure the provision set out in her son, Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan, and failed to make alternative provision available for him once he was excluded from school. We find the Council at fault for failing to secure Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan provision, for failing to consider alternative provision for him, and for failing to keep complete contact notes. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to recognise the injustice caused by the fault, review Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan and act to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant staff where a child is not attending school they need to consider the Council's duty to consider if it needs to provide alternative provision or enforce attendance.The Council will remind relevant staff of the importance of keeping complete and accurate contact notes.

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