Case Ref: 24 015 439 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to amend its School Travel Policy to ensure it aligns with the statutory guidance about considering medical training for passenger assistants working on dedicated school transport.

Case Ref: 24 013 508 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will:-a) provide a copy of the new policy about how the Council deals with children and young people who enter the Council with an EHC Plan;
• b) remind staff and provide training by way of staff circular, team meeting, supervision, or sessions so relevant staff are aware of the new policy and its implications;
• c) remind staff and provide training by way of staff circular, team meeting, supervision, or sessions about who should be invited to EHC Plan reviews and what steps to take when engagement from parents frustrates the review process.

Case Ref: 24 011 718 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Fostering

• The Council will remind relevant staff that during the Local Authority Designated Officer process they must ensure they provide foster carers with an opportunity to respond to any allegations against them before the investigation is concluded.

Case Ref: 24 011 338 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will ensure it has a handover process between caseworkers and it will remind staff to complete this handover process when there is a change in caseworker for children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans.

Case Ref: 24 011 165 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review what went wrong in this case and identify what actions it can take to reduce delay in decisions by its Panel and ensure provision outlined in an Education, Health and Care Plan continues to be delivered when a reassessment of need is taking place. The outcome of the review and the steps to be put in place to prevent a recurrence will be provided to the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 24 010 672 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to remind staff in its special educational needs and disability (SEND) team and its complaint handling teams that the Council has a duty to make sure the child or young person receives the special educational provision set out in section F of an Education, Health and Care Plan and this duty is non-delegable. The Council should not inform parents or carers that this is the responsibility of the school.

Case Ref: 24 008 929 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• Review its approach or policy to providing support to meet the eligible outcomes of parent carers to ensure officers consider individual circumstances when deciding what support can be offered. This is to ensure the Council does not fetter its discretion when considering what support should be offered to meet eligible outcomes

Case Ref: 24 008 195 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide evidence of the staff training that has taken place to improve record keeping to prevent delays when case workers change roles.
• Arrange a transition review with Mrs X and Y to include representatives from family services and adult community services to discuss Y’s future plans;

Case Ref: 24 011 007 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to send me details of how many others are affected by the difficulty in sourcing OT support and the steps the Council is taking to improve the supply of available therapists

Case Ref: 24 008 941 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• By training or other means, remind officers of the Council’s approach to supporting young people outside compulsory school age to maintain their placement in the event they are struggling to attend. The Council should also remind officers that they should promptly explore what support should be offered when they are first notified of a young person struggling to attend their placement. This is to ensure the delays identified in this complaint do not recur.
• By training or other means, remind officers responsible for dealing with requests for stage two complaints that they should be satisfied the stage one response has adequately addressed the complaint when considering whether to investigate the complaint at stage two.