Case Ref: 24 009 914 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that if the Council agrees to amend an EHC Plan, it must allow the parent of young person at least 15 calendar days to comment or make representations on the proposed amendments, and must issue a final amended EHC Plan within 12 weeks of a review, in line with the statutory guidance.

Case Ref: 24 006 858 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Remind relevant staff of the importance of good record keeping. This is to ensure all Education, Health and Care Plan annual review documents such as invitation letters and decision letters to parents are properly kept on the Council’s system for audit purposes.
• Ensure the Council holds the correct contact details for parents on its system and communicate with them in a timely manner. This is to make sure relevant documents of their children’s Education, Health and Care Plan annual reviews are correctly issued to them, and they are kept updated about their children’s cases.
• Provide guidance and training to relevant staff about the Council’s non-delegable duty under section 42 of Children and Families Act 2014. This is to ensure the Council provide the specified special educational provision contained in Section F of an Education, Health and Care Plan for the child or young person.
• Remind relevant staff to consider and complete re-assessments of a child and young person’s needs in accordance with statutory timescales, Regulation and Code.

Case Ref: 24 005 662 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• •Remind relevant staff of the importance of effective complaint handling.
• •Remind relevant staff of the Council’s statutory duties in issue decision notices within four weeks of the annual review and ensure the final amended Plans are issued within the relevant timescale.

Case Ref: 23 020 235 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council should review its current process in place for its bin men to be able to raise issues they come across when collecting bins. It should take this case into consideration when doing so.If there is not a system in place, the Council should consider implementing one.

Case Ref: 23 010 532 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will remind staff involved in free school transport appeals that when deciding if there were closer suitable schools, they must check a school place was available to the child at the time of the admission applications.

Case Ref: 23 008 852 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Provide guidance and training to its staff about when and how it should consider its Section 19 duty to provide education. The Council should refer to the Ombudsman’s guidance, Out of school… out of mind? How councils can do more to give children out of school a good education,published in 2016, when providing this guidance and training to its staff.

Case Ref: 23 005 518 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of the guidance which states within four weeks of a review meeting, a council must notify the child’s parent of its decision to maintain, amend or discontinue the EHC plan. (Section 20(10) Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 and SEN Code paragraph 9.176); following comments from the child’s parent or the young person, if the council decides to continue to make amendments, it must issue the amended EHC plan as soon as practicable and within eight weeks of the date it sent the EHC plan and proposed amendments to the parents. (Section 22(3) SEND Regulations 2014 and SEN Code paragraph 9.196); councils need to have a strategic overview of the provision available in their area and to identify and resolve gaps in provision. (participation of young people in education, employment or training statutory guidance for council’s); and councils are required to collect information about young people so that those who are NEET can be identified and given support to re-engage

Case Ref: 23 004 475 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review its policies and procedures to ensure it is able to identify when EHC plan assessment cases have failed to meet the statutory twenty-week target and confirm what action it will take following identified delays, including any escalation timeframes and procedures. If the Council has already completed such a review in the last 12 months, it will share its action plan with us.
• The Council agreed to undertake a detailed review of its working practices and policies so that it retains oversight and responsibility for its duties to children unable to attend school.
• The Council will provide training to all staff involved in EHC plan arrangements relating to the Code, specifically:a) when a EHC plan should be finalised and issued; andb) about the Council’s alternative provision duties under section 19.If the Council has already implemented training in the last 12 months, it will share an overview of what training was delivered to whom and when.
• The Council agreed to provide a report to a relevant overview and scrutiny committee about the timeliness of EHC plan assessment progress with the Council’s action plan, and what further steps need to be taken to ensure assessments are completed, final EHC plans issued within statutory timescales and alternative provision put in place when required by law. If the Council has already completed such a report in the last 12 months, it will share a copy of said report with us.

Case Ref: 23 002 105 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Produce an action plan to demonstrate how the council will meet statutory timescales for EHCP annual reviews.
• Complete a review of its policy regarding the making and recording of reasonable adjustments in relation to Council services.
• Provide us with evidence it has complied with the actions it has already said it will take, together with evidence of any outcomes, outlined below:• Reviews its EHCP process to ensure there is no confusion in responsibilities.• Reviews its Personal budget process to ensure there is clear process for review.• Ensure staff receive training on the Equality Act.• Reviews its business continuity plan to ensure key performance timescales are protected when normal business is interrupted.• Support staff named within the complaint to understand the limits of their role and provide appropriate training.