Case Ref: 23 021 237 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Housing benefit and council tax benefit

• Share this decision with the relevant housing and complaint handling staff and remind them that the Council must be alert to the need for a potential homelessness assessment in their interactions with the public.

Case Ref: 23 020 966 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to ensure the care home is carrying out thorough assessments before admitting new residents.
• The Council has agreed to ensure the care home establishes clear procedures for documenting all aspects of care and treatment provided to residents. This should include specific guidelines for the level of detail required in daily records, such as documenting observations, treatments, care decisions, and any concerns raised.
• The Council has agreed to ensure care home staff are reminded of the correct process to follow when a resident says they are experiencing pain.

Case Ref: 23 020 666 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to investigate why it did not fast track a housing application after agreeing to do so, and take action to prevent such failings in future.
• The Council has agreed to ensure that when a housing applicant provides supporting documents, they are promptly attached to the applicant’s case, and officers properly check whether information they have requested has been received before assessing the application.

Case Ref: 23 020 612 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the need to clearly explain the reasons for its decision in its school transport appeal letters.
• The Council has agreed to ensure it makes parents aware of any action they need to take, and that they are given the opportunity, to make verbal representations at stage two of the school transport appeal process if they want to.

Case Ref: 23 019 891 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• In response to our enquiries asking for an update on when the replacement recycling bin pod inserts would be delivered, the Council said it would be delivered that day.

Case Ref: 23 018 801 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Fostering

• Using the example of this case, remind relevant officers about the timescales for handling complaints at each stage of the statutory complaints procedure and the importance of adhering to these.

Case Ref: 23 018 025 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with an update on its review around housing installation of aids and adaptations. In carrying out the review the Council will ensure Council tenants are not disadvantaged compared to those living in other housing tenures in how it deals with requests for adaptations and applicants are kept updated on timescales for works and any delays.

Case Ref: 23 017 415 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will remind staff to provide tailored decision letters for school transport decisions that take into account the age category of the applicant and will ensure assessments consider hidden disabilities or SEN / behavioural difficulties that may affect walking as well as physical disabilities.

Case Ref: 23 017 219 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• •Remind all officers who carry out transport appeal, and those who send decision letters of the requirement to consider all the evidence presented and properly record and evidence how it reached the decision, in line with statutory guidance.
• •Arrange staff training for relevant staff on the Council’s duties set out in the statutory guidance. This training should also include awareness of SEN and disability. It should also include the need to take account of disabilities and the impact on the child’s health and safety, as well as mobility, when assessing school transport applications.

Case Ref: 23 016 475 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to take action to ensure its officers are aware that they should not close a review because an applicant has started to make a new application.