Case Ref: 23 006 836 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council agreed to remind its social care staff of the importance of confirming important changes in care funding in writing, where possible, in good time before the changes are due to take effect.
• The Council agreed to remind its social care staff of the importance of making sufficiently detailed records of telephone conversations where important information, such as changes to care funding, are discussed.

Case Ref: 23 006 306 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to review its complaints procedure to ensure that when a complainant has provided evidence to support their complaint, the Council properly considers that evidence in conjunction with its own records. Furthermore if it intends to discount the complainant’s evidence it should provide full reasons for that decision with reference to its own records where appropriate.

Case Ref: 23 003 935 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to remind its Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) staff that they must send their proposed changes to Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for comments within 4 weeks of the annual review meeting.
• The Council has agreed to remind its SEND staff that EHC plans should be finalised within 12 weeks of annual review meetings.
• The Council has agreed to remind its SEND staff of the importance of carrying out the actions it says it will take following annual reviews.
• The Council has agreed to remind its SEND staff that where parents need advice regarding processes that are new to them such as personal budgets and Education Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS), this advice should be provided to them.

Case Ref: 23 001 973 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Remind finance officers to fully consider the evidence they have received when carrying out the assessment.

Case Ref: 22 018 099 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will consider recent statutory guidance on school attendance and absence due to mental health reasons and consider if changes to its guidance, training or approach are required to reflect this.

Case Ref: 22 017 884 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will use this complaint as learning for officers to ensure they correctly update residents' address records and that this is reflected across Council departments.

Case Ref: 22 015 567 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council will share the Ombudsman’s guidance on the principles of good administrative practice with Special Educational Needs team officers. This will remind them of the need for accurate and timely record keeping as a future evidence base and to communicate in a timely and effective manner with those concerned.
• The Council will remind officers dealing with Special Educaiotnal Needs complaints of the need to handle these in line with the Council’s published policy and timescales and share the Ombudsman’s guidance on effective complaint handling for local authorities with them. This will help to ensure complaints are dealt with in a timely, accurate and effective manner.

Case Ref: 22 009 826 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to review its commissioning service for social care support to children with SEN to see if any action can be taken to improve the availability of support workers.

Case Ref: 22 005 421 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• Remind staff to provide progress updates to service users with complaints considered under the statutory complaints process as far as is reasonably practicable, in line with the Regulations.

Case Ref: 22 004 736 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council agreed to review how it considers expenses related to disregarded properties in care and support financial assessments. It should ensure it fully considers individual circumstances when deciding if it is reasonable for someone to contribute to the costs of their former home.
• The Council agreed to remind its staff making financial assessment decisions of the need to fully explain their decisions, including their consideration of any evidence.
• The Council agreed to review how it considers appeals against financial assessments for care and support. It should ensure that its policy clearly explains the process for considering appeals and that there is enough independence from the original decision maker.
• The Council agreed to review its procedures for placing holds on outgoing debt recovery mail to ensure these are effective in preventing further correspondence being generated and sent.