Case Ref: 24 009 956 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council failed to arrange suitable education for a child when she was unable to attend school. The Council will review the systems it has in place to ensure it seeks and obtains the information required by its Special Educational Needs Decision-Making Group so that the Council can complete amendments to a child's Education, Health and Care Plan within the statutory timescales. The Council will identify where it needs to make improvements to its systems so that the faults identified in this decision do not occur again. It will provide the Ombudsman with details of improvements it has identified and when it will complete those actions by.
• The Council will review the systems it has in place to ensure it properly considers how it can work with schools to help them reintegrate children back into education when they have stopped attending and will otherwise require alternative provision. The Council will identify where it needs to make improvements to its systems so that the faults identified in this decision do not occur again. It will provide the Ombudsman with details of improvements it has identified and when it will complete those actions by.

Case Ref: 24 009 953 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• the Council has agreed to remind its officers about its complainthandling procedures and timescales

Case Ref: 24 008 290 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind staff in its special educational needs team to ensure agreed educational provision is put in place without unnecessary delay. This means planning and arrangements of such provision should start when the Council becomes aware a child’s or young person’s provision will no longer be arranged by a school.
• The Council should review its corporate complaints policy against the Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code. This is to ensure it operates it complaints process in line with the process and timescales set out in the code, or have good reasons to depart from the guidance.

Case Ref: 24 007 738 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will put a process in place to ensure communication with parents during the Education, Health and Care Plan annual review process is not impacted by staff absences.

Case Ref: 24 004 134 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind staff dealing with cases where it is aware a child is not attending school full-time it is the Council’s duty to ensure they receive a suitable education and keep cases of part-time education under review.

Case Ref: 24 002 444 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• The Council will remind relevant adult social care staff to ensure when seeking to limit contact between a client in a care home and their relatives they are clear with the family and care provider whether this is its recommendation to the family, or whether a formal best interests’ decision is required to introduce restrictions
• The Council will review its procedures, and ensure they are in line with the updated Care Quality Commission guidance of 2024, to ensure that where restrictions are placed on contact between a care home resident and their relatives/other visitors, the nature of the restrictions is communicated in writing to the person on whom the restrictions are imposed and the care provider, and restrictions are reviewed regularly.

Case Ref: 23 017 647 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Street furniture and lighting

• Remind staff about the need to consider the full powers available to it,including deciding to complete repairs itself, when deciding how to ensureutility providers complete highway repairs
• Review its processes and policies to ensure it is, where possible,encouraging utility companies to install utility covers which allow for complimentary tactilesurfaces

Case Ref: 23 015 305 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to decide what changes are needed to its Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan processes, or staff training, to ensure it has systems in place to:check provision is in place when it issues a new or substantially different EHC Plan, or there is a change in educational setting; when a child with an EHC Plan is out of school, ensure it meets its duty to secure the provision in the Plan as far as possible outside a school setting; andproperly investigate complaints or concerns that provision is not in place at any time.
• The Council agreed to issue a reminder to staff in its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities service who respond to complaints, about its complaints procedure timescales.

Case Ref: 24 000 475 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Remind staff of the importance of meeting the statutory timescales for annual reviews.

Case Ref: 23 020 424 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide evidence that internal policy or procedure provides guidance to staff about how welfare checks are carried out for children out of school. This should include frequency of welfare visits.
• Share a copy of this decision with the SEND Team and ensure that a learning session takes place with all relevant staff.