Case Ref: 22 010 883 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council agreed to review procedures to ensure proper consideration is given to whether it needs to make alternative provision on a relevant case which includes making clear documented decisions which explain issues and evidence considered.
• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to: record whether meetings took place; avoid periods of delay; chase to rearrange cancelled meetings and minutes of multiagency meetings.
• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to properly consider, decide,and document decisions about whether it needs to make section 19 alternative provision.
• The Council agreed to review why the complaint procedure was not followed and act to ensure the delay in responding does not happen on future cases.

Case Ref: 22 009 493 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Please see details on 22 009 488

Case Ref: 22 009 488 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Within three months, the Council will:amend its policy on children out of school to make clear that the Council is responsible for ensuring or overseeing assessments as to why a pupil is out of school, and also responsible for overseeing or arranging alternative provision.
• the revised policy should set out what officers should do when a pupil is out of school, but the Council considers the school is suitable, and it is reasonable for the pupil to attend.
• the revised policy should mkae it clear that the Council is responsible for finding an alternative school (if the current school is considered unsuitable) and for providing alternative education in the interim.
• the revised policy should set out a clear timetable for deciding whether and when its duty to provide alternative educaion is triggered.
• the revised policy should make it clear that alternative educaion should be fulltime, unless the pupil's medcal needs prevent this, and the education provided should be in accordance with the pupil's age and aptitude.

Case Ref: 22 008 489 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• the Council should review its procedures for: monitoring SEN provision has been properly put in place when a child’s first EHC Plan is issued and responding to concerns about provision;
• the Council should review its procedures for deciding whether it is required to make alternative provision where it knows a child is no longer able to attend school and making the alterative provision promptly
• the Council should review its procedures for ensuring annual reviews are completed within the required time scales and its SEN officers are aware of these timescales and their importance.

Case Ref: 22 007 941 Category: Planning Sub Category: Other

• The Council will remind officers conducting planning enforcement and noise nuisance investigations of the principles set out in the Ombudsman's Principles of Good Administrative Practice.

Case Ref: 22 008 999 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council has agreed to remind staff the importance of good record keeping and ensure that minutes are taken at every transport panel.
• The Council has agreed to review how it ensures that any payments for transport are made in a timely manner.
• The Council will review how it ensures those with disabilities can access the information about alternative forms of transport payments.

Case Ref: 22 007 577 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council should issue written reminders to the care provider to ensure they are aware of: Regulation 17 which says care providers should “maintain securely” records and should have “an accurate, complete and contemporaneous record in respect of each service user, including a record of the care and treatment provided to the service user and of decisions taken in relation to the care and treatment provided”. Regulation 9 “Person Centred Care” says care providers should enable and support relevant people to make or participate in making decisions relating to the service user's care or treatment to the maximum extent possible…”. Regulation 10 says care providers must treat all service users with dignity and respect.

Case Ref: 22 006 811 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council needs to ensure there are sufficient staff in the complaints team to respond to customers who require telephone contact as a reasonable adjustment.

Case Ref: 22 000 133 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review its housing allocations scheme to ensure there is clear guidance onwhen certain members of the Armed Forces community are exempt from any residency requirements under the Allocation of Housing (Qualification Criteria for Armed Forces) (England) Regulations 2012 . The Council will provide training to relevant staff in both its housing allocations team and homelessness team on handling applications where these Regulations may apply.
• The Council has agreed to circulate a reminder to staff about when the Council must arrange interim accommodation for a homelessness applicant following a referral to a second council at the relief duty stage.
• The Council has agreed to circulate a reminder to relevant staff that if a welfare award is increased following additional supporting information, the eligible band date should be the date the completed housing register application was received.
• The Council has agreed to ask a Senior Officer in both its housing allocations team and homelessness team to review the decision statement and share any identified learning with their team. The Council will report back on the outcome of this.

Case Ref: 21 019 001 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council agreed to remind officers responding to our enquiries in the future of the need to send proper supporting evidence.