Case Ref: 25 000 070 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with evidence of the actions to:• Implement a strengthened monitoring process to ensure compliance with EHC Plan specified coordination requirements, for example team around child meetings and compliance checks at annual review.• Review its free school meal policy and practice ensuring timely issue of vouchers.• Improve commissioning practices for therapy as well as monitoring systems and tracking of provision.

Case Ref: 24 020 797 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council should review its procedures for assessing whether someone is eligible for a free bin and make changes to ensure there are clear and transparent criteria for decisions.
• The Council should ensure there is clear guidance in place for officers making decisions, including how to check if the criteria have been met.

Case Ref: 24 014 983 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council remind its complaints handling staff to ensure all reasons for late complaints are properly considered and the appropriate policy regarding such complaints is referenced in its responses.

Case Ref: 24 011 682 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will issue guidance to relevant staff to ensure that referrals for home tuition are monitored to confirm the provision is put in place.

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.