Service improvements

West Sussex County Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

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 1 - 10 of 13 cases with service improvements

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

  • West Sussex County Council (24 012 207)

    Category: Education Date: 27-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complained about the Council’s actions in relation to her child, Y’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. The Council was at fault. It delayed issuing a draft amended and final amended EHC Plan following an annual review meeting. As a result, Y missed out on some specialist educational provision. It also caused Miss X frustration and uncertainty. The Council has already apologised to Miss X. The Council will also pay Miss X a symbolic payment of £250 to recognise the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will put together an action plan detailing what action it is or has been taking to reduce the delays of issuing draft and final amended Education, Health and Care Plans following annual review meetings.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 008 795)

    Category: Education Date: 24-Feb-2025

    Summary

    There was fault and delay by the Council in implementing an order of the SEND Tribunal. This delayed Y being able to attend the school the Tribunal had determined was suitable and caused distress and uncertainty. The Council also failed to consider a remedy payment under its own complaint process, which could have resolved the complaint without the need for Ms X to come to the Ombudsman. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment and make service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will ensure it has processes in place to follow up Tribunal orders and make sure they are fully implemented.The Council will ensure transport officers understand they can provide financial remedies (in addition to reimbursing mileage) via the complaints process and do need to signpost complainants to make insurance or litigation claims when there has been fault by the Council causing injustice.

  • West Sussex County Council (24 003 881)

    Category: Education Date: 26-Nov-2024

    Summary

    There was a delay of almost six months in completing a post-16 transfer review and amendment of an Education, Health and Care Plan. This meant there was inadequate transition and the right to appeal the placement before the start of the school year was lost. The Council will apologise, make a symbolic payment and carry out service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind staff about aspects of good complaint handling including checking the facts of the complaint and not misusing stock responses, providing realistic timescales for actions and keep complainants informed of delays.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 021 450)

    Category: Education Date: 11-Mar-2025

    Summary

    Ms F complained the Council failed to provide her son (X) with an education in school or through an alternative provision placement since September 2023. She also said it communicated poorly and caused delays in its complaints handling. The Council agreed it was at fault. We found its proposed remedy was not enough. It will apologise to Ms F and make payment to her and X to properly acknowledge the injustice its faults caused them. We have also made service improvement recommendations to address the delays and faults.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review, or share the outcome of any recent review, of alternative provision placements available within the Council’s area for children with complex special educational needs. This is to ensure it can adhere to its duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 without delay. If the Council find it lack alternative provision placements it should set out an action plan with how it intends to address this.The Council will share with the Ombudsman the steps the Council had taken and intends to take to address backlogs in its complaints handling, including an update on its current backlogs.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 020 491)

    Category: Education Date: 15-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains about the Council’s handling of her child, Y’s, special educational needs. She says the Council should have agreed to complete an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment without the need for an appeal. She also says the Council delayed in completing the Assessment and issuing an Education Health and Care Plan. Mrs X also says the Council failed to provide alternative provision for her child. Mrs X says this caused her and her family distress. We have found fault in the actions of the Council for the delay in issuing the Plan and for failing to provide alternative provision for Y. The Council has agreed to pay a financial remedy and implement service improvements.

    Service improvements

    Provide or produce a plan to confirm the actions taken to ensure EHC Plans are issued within statutory timescales including what actions the Council are taking to address the delays in allocating cases to Educational Psychologists.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 020 411)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s delay in dealing with the transfer of his children’s Education, Health and Care Plans and failure to respond to his stage 2 complaint. We found there was fault by the Council which caused Mr X distress and led to the loss of educational provision for his children. To put matters right, the Council agreed to apologise to Mr X and make a symbolic payment of £500.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to provide training to all relevant staff about transferring Education, Health and Care Plans between councils and its procedures for handling such transfers.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 020 172)

    Category: Education Date: 24-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Mr A complained that the Council, took too long to issue an Education and Health Care plan for his son. He also complained his son was not provided with education during the period he was waiting for the updated Plan. We found there was significant delay, a failure to establish what a suitable education was for S. We recommended the Council apologised, made a payment to Mr A and S and reviewed progress on improving its practice.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to share this decision with officers involved in issuing final EHC Plans to remind them the importance of timely issuing of amended EHC Plans following annual reviews.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 019 984)

    Category: Education Date: 20-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Miss X complained the Council delayed completing her son, Y’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment and failed to put in alternative provision in place when he stopped attending school in January 2023. The Council delayed completing Y’s EHC needs assessment which caused a subsequent delay in issuing his final Plan. The Council agreed to make a payment to recognise the frustration and delayed appeal rights. The Council did not properly consider at the time whether it had a duty to provide alternative provision, however Y’s school did offer appropriate support and a reintegration plan and so any fault did not cause an injustice. The Council will carry out service improvements around its communication and record keeping.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind SEND officers: to make a record of its consideration of whether it owes a Section 19 duty to provide children not attending school with alternative provision, at the time it becomes aware;to record that where a school is providing support and alternative provision that the Council has considered whether that provision is suitable; andkeep oversight of children receiving alternative provision from schools to ensure arrangements remain appropriate or whether it needs to step in and make arrangements itself.The Council will review its communication and information sharing processes between departments to ensure that where there is evidence that a child is not attending school that it is communicated to the relevant officers so a decision can be made, at the time, whether a Section 19 duty is owed to provide the child with alternative provision.The Council will review its communication process with schools to ensure information about children not attending school is passed to the Council at the earliest opportunity.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 019 530)

    Category: Education Date: 28-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council failed to comply with the statutory timeframe for issuing an Education, Health and Care Plan. He also complained the Council failed to communicate effectively throughout the process. Mr X said the delays will have a negative impact in his child’s educational outcomes. We have found fault with the Council for the delay in issuing a final Education, Health and Care Plan and delays in the complaints process. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment and complete service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will complete a review of the stage two complaint delay and provide an action plan to ensure any backlog of complaints is cleared and its complaints policy timeframes can be adhered to.The Council will make sure there is a process in place for its special educational needs and disability team to ensure the education, health and care needs assessment process is not impacted by staff absence.

  • West Sussex County Council (23 016 015)

    Category: Education Date: 28-Aug-2024

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council failed to provide her child, Y, with a suitable education and it failed to communicate with her effectively. The Council acknowledges it was at fault. The fault caused loss of provision and avoidable distress. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to remedy this injustice.

    Service improvements

    Remind relevant staff of the Council's duty to secure education and EHCPprovision for children not able to attend school.

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