Case Ref: 22 011 832 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to identify and implement an improved system whereby it is able to identify when Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan cases have failed to meet statutory targets, to confirm the action it is taking following an annual review of the EHC plans and have a policy that explains what action the Council will take when the target is not met; i.e. how it will escalate such cases for further action and by whom etc.

Case Ref: 22 001 540 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide guidance to staff about the Council’s duties in relation to s19 alternative education provision and their responsibilities in respect of this.
• Provide guidance to staff regarding following the Council’s complaints policy.

Case Ref: 21 017 943 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide guidance to staff relating to the EHCP annual review process and their responsibilities within it; and
• Undertake a review at director level of Mrs B’s case and provide a report to the Ombudsman outlining its findings and detailing any additional learning or service improvements identified.

Case Ref: 22 009 319 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council will ensure it has procedures in place so that its complaints team responds to any expression of dissatisfaction as a complaint.

Case Ref: 22 003 257 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• Remind staff about the importance of identifying all presenting needs and where the Council commissions services there is transparency about the needs identified;
• Through contract monitoring the Council should ensure the Care Provider has taken the actions set out at paragraph 22 which include: 1. updating the assessment process to include more information around mental health; 2. getting medical history to outline any undisclosed prescribed medications behaviours, before deciding around moving into the home; 3. at preassessment asking direct questions about behaviours and reasons residential care is needed, 4. any resident who displays a behaviour that challenges should have an Antecedent, Behaviour, and Consequence (ABC) chart, and staff should complete incident forms; 5. reminding staff to make referrals to other professionals such as the GP; 6. recording advice from other professionals.
• Through contract monitoring the Council should ensure the Care Provider has a policy about the use of doll therapy and this is discussed with families.

Case Ref: 21 014 226 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council has agreed to share the faults identified with the care provider.

Case Ref: 21 004 225 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to: •provide the Ombudsman with evidence of the internal processes the Council has in place to monitor the progress of its Education, Health and Care Plan annual review process timeliness.
• •provide details of the action it has taken to address delays in processing annual reviews to ensure such delays do not continue to occur and say how this has been implemented
• •undertake an audit of Education, Health and Care Plan annual reviews of the 30 cases identified by Ofsted following its recent inspection of the Council’s SEND services as part of the monitoring process. This is to ensure the Council is carrying out annual reviews in a timely manner, issuing decision notices and completing Education, Health and Care Plan annual review processes in accordance with statutory guidelines
• •report the Education, Health and Care Plan review audit finding with the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 20 008 750 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to develop a procedure to ensure that where it appears a child or young person is not receiving the provision set out in their EHC plan, robust action is taken without delay.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the importance of responding to parent’s concerns in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 20 005 120 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• The Council has agreed to provide training to members of its planning committee on probity in planning and how to properly explain its decisions.
• The Council has agreed to develop a process for monitoring outstanding enforcement complaints to ensure that, wherever possible, investigations are completed within the target timeframes.