Case Ref: 19 013 231 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council agrees to a new appeal and if successful to pay transport costs.

Case Ref: 19 013 225 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council agrees to review the home to school transport policy within two months of the final decision.

Case Ref: 19 012 812 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will also review its internal processes and systems to ensure information about deferred payments is readily available to front line staff providing advice to families about care costs. The Council should inform the Ombudsman what action has been taken to address this issue.

Case Ref: 19 012 675 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to identify the action it needs to take to ensure Chaseview produces a person-centred care plan for each resident, involving their carer where relevant,

Case Ref: 19 012 601 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to review its processes to ensure service users are not left without funding for respite when there are delays in support planning.
• The Council has agreed to remind staff that direct payments can be used flexibly to meet eligible needs in line with statutory guidance.

Case Ref: 19 012 247 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Rights of way

• The Council will send a memo to customer services advisers to ensure for those residents reporting highway defects that cannot access the Council’s online service information is provided either verbally or in writing about the prioritisation given to a highway defect and the likely timescale for completion (once the defect is inspected).
• The Council will remind officers in the customer services team that although the complaints procedure cannot result in a highway defect being rectified quicker if a resident wants to complain about failures in the process unrelated to the priority given to the repair they have a right to make a complaint and those complaints should be recorded by the officer over the telephone if the person is unable to put their complaint in writing.
• The Council will: update the Council’s online information to advise residents that although the highways reporting system is online only if a resident needs a reasonable adjustment they can still make that request over the telephone.

Case Ref: 19 011 904 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council has agreed to provide evidence to the Ombudsman of the learning or changes to practice resulting from the learning event it held following this complaint.
• The Council has agreed to remind staff that a response to a complaint should say what it upholds or does not uphold, the basis for that decision, and what any remedy will be.

Case Ref: 19 008 804 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Direct payments

• The Council will also review and amend its policy to reflect the findings of this decision statement to ensure service users can use a direct payment to pay for respite care if this is what they want to do. The Ombudsman should be provided with a copy of the amended policy.
• The Council will also ensure relevant front-line staff are made aware of this change in policy. The Ombudsman should be provided with evidence that this has taken place.

Case Ref: 19 007 136 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council agrees to: • Review its policy for care provided to full contribution clients to ensure there are procedures in place to monitor the care provided.
• • Review how the Council monitors care providers to ensure full contribution clients are charged correctly where the care is commissioned by the Council.

Case Ref: 19 004 293 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council agrees to review its home to school transport policy and procedure to ensure it is in line with statutory requirements.