Service improvements

Sheffield City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2027

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 - 10 of 12 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Sheffield City Council as a CSV file.

  • Sheffield City Council (24 011 611)

    Category: Education Date: 20-May-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to ensure her child received all the provision in their Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council is at fault for failing to ensure Y received the occupational therapy provision in their plan between May 2023 and April 2025. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X and make a payment to acknowledge her frustration and to acknowledge the impact on Y of the missed provision. It has also agreed to issue a reminder to staff to ensure it meets its duty to deliver the provision set out in Education, Health and Care Plans.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff in its special educational needs team that it is the irresponsibility to ensure occupational therapy provision, and any other provision in section F of the Education, Health and Care Plan is delivered, and this is not delegable to the NHS or any other third party organisations.

  • Sheffield City Council (23 021 148)

    Category: Education Date: 01-Nov-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council failed to find a setting for her daughter, Y, to sit her GCSE exams. Mrs X said she had to arrange for the exams to take place outside of her local area, in busy settings which would impact Y. Y’s tutor then arranged the exams in a local setting. Mrs X said she spent a lot of time arranging the exams and this impacted her, and Y’s, mental health. There was fault in the way the Council did not arrange for Y to sit the exams in a suitable location with suitable adjustments. This fault distressed Mrs X and Y. The Council will apologise, make a financial payment and provide a copy of its new policy.

    Service improvements

    Provide a copy of the EOTAS policy to evidence it is acting following the fault identified in this case.

  • Sheffield City Council (23 017 818)

    Category: Education Date: 04-Mar-2025

    Summary

    The Council failed to properly consider its duty to provide alternative education for Ms X’s child, Z. This led to Z missing out on alternative provision and caused Ms X uncertainty and frustration. In recognition of the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, pay Ms X £1,200 and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide the Ombudsman with evidence it has reminded education staff that the Council should consider its section19 duty to pupils from the fifteenth day of absence from school and clearly record its decision making at that time.

  • Sheffield City Council (23 004 844)

    Category: Education Date: 26-Feb-2024

    Summary

    The Council failed to take sufficient action to secure the speech and language therapy in Ms X’s daughter’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan). This caused Ms X frustration and caused her daughter to miss out on provision she was entitled to receive. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay Ms X £850, and carry out service improvements. It has also agreed to pay a financial remedy for ongoing missed provision.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review how it commissions its speech and language therapy to ensure it can secure this type of therapy when it is a requirement of young people's Education Health and Care Plans.The Council has agreed to remind its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities staff that the Council's duty to secure the provision in Section F of Education Health and Care Plans is non-delegable.

  • Sheffield City Council (23 001 080)

    Category: Education Date: 14-Nov-2023

    Summary

    Mrs C complained the Council failed to find a special school placement for her son (X) and the alternative provision he received was inadequate. We found the Council caused a service failure as it was unable to find a suitable special school for X. It was at fault for failing to provide X enough alternative provision to ensure he received a full-time education, and it should have communicated better with Mrs C. The Council will apologise and make payment to Mrs C to acknowledge the injustice this caused her and X.

    Service improvements

    The Council will send written reminders to relevant staff of its responsibilities under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 when it is made aware a child is attending school part-time, or needs a special school placement. This should cover what the Council should consider when assessing the suitability of education and how it will provide, or work towards, a full-time education in such circumstances.

  • Sheffield City Council (22 015 298)

    Category: Education Date: 29-Aug-2023

    Summary

    There is no evidence a delay in arranging a school placement for a child with an education, health and care plan was due to fault by the Council; and nor can we say any omission by the Council was responsible for a subsequent deterioration in the child’s behaviour, which led to his exclusion. We are unable to investigate a complaint about the alternative provision subsequently offered to the child, because it is linked to a matter which carried a right of appeal. There was some fault by the Council in its handling of the independent review against the child’s exclusion, for which it has agreed to apologise and circulate guidance to staff.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to circulate guidance to its panel of IRP clerks, to ensure they are aware the statutory guidance says that, where they have requested the attendance of a SEN expert at a review meeting, but the expert is not present, parents may ask for the meeting to be adjourned until the expert is available; and that the IRP must explain this right to parents.

  • Sheffield City Council (21 013 182)

    Category: Education Date: 31-May-2023

    Summary

    Ms X complains the Council failed to make alternative education provision for her son, Y when he stopped attending school and delayed issuing a final amended Education Health and Care Plan after an annual review in 2021 causing distress and uncertainty. We found fault as the Council failed to provide Y with alternative educational provision and delayed issuing the final amended Education Health and Care Plan. We have recommended a suitable remedy so have completed our investigation.

    Service improvements

    Reviews its guidance to staff on when its Section 19 duty is triggered to ensure the recommendations in the Ombudsman’s focus report above are reflected in this. The Council should consider including guidance on our recommendation that councils should choose, based on all the evidence, whether to enforce attendance or provide the child with suitable alternative education.Ensure there is a clear audit trail to evidence decisions taken on non-attendance and alternative provision.Shares this decision with relevant staff members.

  • Sheffield City Council (22 000 694)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Oct-2022

    Summary

    There was fault by the Council. There were administrative errors and delays sending a final Education, Health and Care plan after mediation. There were also delays referring child Y for home tuition, which meant she spent 7 months with no formal education. Finalising the Education, Health and Care plan, reviewing procedures and making a payment to Y and Mrs X remedies the injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council should review its procedures to ensure that administrative errors (such as sending the wrong documents) do not recur.

  • Sheffield City Council (21 018 782)

    Category: Education Date: 29-Nov-2022

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council delayed its review of her daughter’s EHCP, delayed notifying her right of appeal and failed to arrange all the educational provision specified, resulting in missed education and distress. We found the Council at fault. We recommended it apologise, pay £1000 for distress, pay £5200 for missed provision; fund provision that remains outstanding and; provide training to staff to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council will provide training or guidance to staff working in Children’s Services on the Council’s statutory duties, including timescales for the Education Health and Care plan review process; notifying rights of appeal with a final Education Health and Care plan and the duty to secure section f provision (educational provision outlined in the Education Health and Care plan).

  • Sheffield City Council (21 010 289)

    Category: Education Date: 31-Aug-2022

    Summary

    Miss H complains the Council and Trust significantly delayed her son J’s Education, Health and Care Plan annual review, and J did not receive the 1-1 speech and language therapy sessions in his plan. There was fault by the Council and Trust. There were long delays in the annual review process, and in the response to Miss H’s complaint. The Council failed to ensure J received the speech and language education provision in his plan. This has caused an injustice as J has missed out on educational provision in his plan, and Miss H has suffered stress and upset. The Council and Trust have agreed to apologise, pay a financial remedy to Miss H, complete the annual review and make improvements to their services.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its processes to ensure it amends and issues Education Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans) following an annual review in line with statutory timescales and the requirements of the SEND Code of Practice. It will also review its procedures for carrying out interim / emergency reviews of EHC Plans, in line with the requirements of the Code.The Council will ensure it has a mechanism in place to check provision specified in an Education Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan) is arranged from the start of a new or amended plan. It will also review sources of Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) services and develop a plan to ensure it can commission SALT therapies needed to support the EHC Plans it maintains.The Council will explain the work completed with the Integrated Care Board and Children’s Hospital and other partners to review Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) services across the city, to ensure there is adequate high-quality support for all children who need SALT input. The Council will also submit a report on this to the relevant council scrutiny committee.

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