Service improvements

Surrey County Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

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 31 - 38 of 38 cases with service improvements

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

  • Surrey County Council (22 014 573)

    Category: Education Date: 04-Jun-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council refused to assess her daughter for an Education Health and Care Plan (“EHCP”) and then delayed completing the assessment, causing distress. We have not investigated the refusal to assess as Mrs X could have appealed. We found the Council at fault for delay. We recommended it pays Mrs X £500 for distress and uncertainty, issues a final EHCP, considers a remedy for any missed provision and acts to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council should take action to ensure it can evidence it has met the Ombudsman’s expectation that councils should directly commission a private Education Psychologist where necessary in order to complete an Education Health and Care Plan assessment within the statutory timescales.

  • Surrey County Council (22 013 345)

    Category: Education Date: 02-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council delayed amending and finalising his child, Y’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan in March 2022 and again in November 2022 after an interim review. The Council was at fault for failing to finalise Y’s EHC plans in line with statutory timescales. The Council agreed to apologise and pay Mr X £600 to recognise the frustration and uncertainty caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to write to all Special Educational Needs and Disability officers and remind them of recent caselaw R (L, M,and P) v Devon County Council [2022] EWHC 493 which says Councils must, from March 2022, send the decision letter alongside any proposed changes to the Education, Health and Care Plan within four weeks of the review meeting and issue a final plan no later than eight weeks after the decision letter is sent.

  • Surrey County Council (22 013 007)

    Category: Education Date: 06-Jun-2023

    Summary

    Mr B complains the Council did not ensure his son, Y, received occupational therapy outlined in Section F of his Education Health and Care (“EHC”) plan. Mr B says Y needed this support to help his development and that as a result educational targets could not be updated in his EHC plan. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for not ensuring Y received the required occupational therapy.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to send a reminder to staff working in its SEN team that the Council remains responsible for ensuring that all support outlined in Section F of an EHC plan is provided, including where a young person is attending school that is not in the Council’s area. If a school or NHS service is no longer able or willing to provide the support, the Council must ensure it identifies suitable alternative provision.

  • Surrey County Council (22 012 950)

    Category: Education Date: 01-May-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council failed to ensure his son received suitable education for one year, resulting in missed education and distress. We found the Council at fault. We recommended it provides Mr X with an apology; pays £200 for time and trouble; £300 for distress; £2200 for missed education and; acts to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide guidance to staff working in children’s education on the need to consult and name a school during the Education Health and Care Plan process and the test to apply when considering whether to name a school that is parental preference.

  • Surrey County Council (22 012 228)

    Category: Education Date: 17-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council delayed issuing her child’s Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council was at fault for a two month delay in issuing the plan. It has also failed to provide the provision set out in the plan so Ms X’s child has missed out on provision. It has agreed to apologise to Ms X and make a payment in recognition of the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide the Ombudsman with evidence of the actions it is taking to increase educational psychology capacity and reduce waiting times and to increase capacity for specialist school places.

  • Surrey County Council (22 011 444)

    Category: Education Date: 17-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Mrs Z complained the Council delayed completing Education Health and Care Plans (“EHCPs”) for her children and failed to ensure they had suitable education and EHCP provision, causing distress. We found the Council at fault. We recommended it provides an apology, pays £100 for time and trouble, pays £1000 for distress, pays £3300 for missed provision and acts to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council will produce an action plan to address delays in its process for completing Education Health and Care Plans, including timeframes for completion.The Council will act to ensure there is oversight or monitoring in place during its assessment or review of any Education Health and Care Plan so that senior staff are promptly alerted to any delay.

  • Surrey County Council (22 009 996)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained, on behalf of her granddaughter, Child A, the Council refused to provide home-to-school transport because there was a nearer suitable school. The Council was at fault for not applying the correct legal test known as the Dudley test. This left uncertainty about the decision reached. The Council has agreed to reconsider the transport application in line with the Dudley test and provide a fresh decision and right of appeal. The Council will also review its home-to-school travel policy and retrain staff to prevent reoccurrence of the fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review its home-to-school travel policy to ensure it provides clear information about the tests it must apply when deciding to pay for school transport.The Council will provide staff training, to ensure all relevant staff which includes those carrying out school transport decisions/appeals as well as the Special Educational Needs Disability team are aware of the three stage test process. The decision which this service improvement resulted from will be shared as part of the training.

  • Surrey County Council (22 003 115)

    Category: Education Date: 17-Apr-2023

    Summary

    Mr T complains on behalf of his son (Mr K) who has special educational needs (SEN). There was a two-year period where Mr K could not attend school because of his complex educational needs. Mr T complains the Council failed to provide Mr K with suitable alternative education in accordance with its legal duty under the Education Act 1996. We found the Council failed to provide Mr K with suitable alternative education provision. Overall, the Council provided Mr K with around a quarter of the education he was legally entitled to receive. This had a serious impact on Mr K’s educational development and wellbeing. The Council has accepted our recommendations to remedy the fault and injustice identified.

    Service improvements

    At asenior level, the Council will undertake a detailed written review into thefailings identified in this statement. This will focus on its delays inimplementing timely alternative provision and the effective monitoring andrecording of decisions relating to what provision is suitable in thecircumstances. The Council will adopt measures to identify when alternativeprovision must be implemented and what arrangements are needed to ensure thisis provided. The review will also inform service improvements and policychanges, as well as specific feedback and areas of needed training to thoseinvolved in the case.

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