Derbyshire County Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
85% Complaints upheld by Derbyshire County Council
85% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 85% in similar authorities.
47 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Derbyshire County Council's population, this is
5.8 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.5 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 55 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
100% of cases were successfully implemented by Derbyshire County Council
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 41 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
6% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by Derbyshire County Council
In 6% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 7% in similar authorities.
3 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 47 upheld decisions for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
View all satisfactory remedy decisions
Annual letters
We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.
Reports ?Find out more about reports
In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following reports against Derbyshire County Council
Boy misses out on a year with his peers because of council failures
A Derbyshire boy had to stay in primary school for an extra year because the county council did not update his Education, Health and Care (EHC Plan) Plan in a timely manner.
Derbyshire County Council to make wholescale review of services following woman’s “avoidable” death
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has heavily criticised Derbyshire County Council for not putting the proper safeguarding measures in place for a woman in one of its care homes before she fell and died.
Autistic man had no schooling due to council’s lack of support, Ombudsman finds
Derbyshire man missed most of his secondary education because the county council did not support his special educational needs sufficiently, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Derbyshire schoolgirls move within same village and lose school bus pass
Our investigation report highlights how councils should operate a fair and accessible school transport review process.
Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements
Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.
Case reference: 24 007 156
Category: Education
Sub Category: School transport
- The Council will remind those dealing with school transport cases of the need to ensure parents/carers are given the opportunity to attend appeal panel hearings should they wish to.
- The Council will advise those dealing with transport appeals of the need to keep notes from the appeal hearing so there is a record of what information the appeal panel considered.
- The Council will remind those dealing with complaints to ensure complaints which include concerns about failure to follow processes or consider relevant information are put through the Council’s complaints procedure even if the Council considers the decision cannot be overturned by the complaint process.
Case reference: 24 003 369
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Charging
- The Council should consider whether this is an isolated incident or whether it needs to take further action to remind service providers about the completion of contracts.
Case reference: 24 003 113
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council should provide us with evidence of the steps it has taken to improve its communication.
Case reference: 24 002 510
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to review why there was a failure to act, explore, and properlyconsider Mrs D’s concerns raised at the time about the need for an interimreview and non-provision.
- The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to act, explore, and properlyconsider concerns raised about the need for interim reviews and claims ofnon-provision.
- The Council agreed to clarify whether the changes it made following thedelays with the EHC needs assessment resulted in improvements to the overallcompletion of the process and compliance with statutory timeframes.
- The Council agreed to review why there were delays sending the required informationand notices following the interim review along with the final EHC plan.
- The Council agreed to:a) remind officers of the need to respond to communication properly and fully from parents about their children’s EHC plans and concerns.b) remind Complaint Officers of the need, where appropriate, to tell complainants their complaint will take longer than the standard time period and to give them reasons along with a likely date by which they will receive a final response.
Case reference: 23 021 000
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to remind officers of the Council’s responsibility, under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure children out of school receive full-time education provision, or the provision that is assessed to be in the child’s best interests. The Council should continue to review its decision about whether it owes a section 19 duties to make sure it steps in as soon as the duties are engaged.
Case reference: 23 017 942
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- Create an action plan to demonstrate how the Council will implement the steps it has taken to improve its Special Educational Needs and Disability service.
- Provide evidence of how the Council is monitoring the impact of the changes made to its Special Educational Needs and Disability service.
Case reference: 23 017 456
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Child protection
- The Council has agreed to provide us with an action plan which sets out how, in future, it will avoid similar failings in safeguarding timeliness and social work visiting frequency.
Case reference: 23 011 999
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will remind staff of the importance of communicating decisions around educational personal budgets in writing to applicants.
- The Council will remind staff of the importance of considering complaints and providing clear, reasoned responses.
Case reference: 23 011 962
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- Review its alternative education policy alongside our published guidance ‘Out of school, out of sight?’ July 2022. It should consider the recommendations we made, and how it can incorporate these recommendations into its policy.
Case reference: 23 008 346
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- Provide the Ombudsman with evidence of the steps taken as part of the Council’s remodelling of its special educational needs and disability service, and its employment of additional Educational Psychologists.
Last updated: 4 April 2015