Case Ref: 20 009 774 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• • Using this case as an example, ensure staff dealing with complaints are aware of the circumstances when the statutory complaints process should be used for children’s social care services complaints.

Case Ref: 20 008 943 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind its staff they are able to seek new assessments if they feel it is necessary to write a child's Education, Health and Care plan.
• The Council will remind its staff they must send consultations to schools without delay.
• The Council will remind its staff that when they become aware a chlid may not be receiving a suitable education due to ill health, they should promptly consider if the Council should put alternative provision in place.

Case Ref: 20 008 289 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to ensure people are advised of the cost of care as soon as possible and complete financial assessments before a person receives care where possible
• The Council has agreed to provide training and/or refresher training to ensure staff are aware of the need to offer reasonable adjustments and how to do this

Case Ref: 20 006 985 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council was at fault for failing to discuss a suicide note and meet its own deadlines for interviewing the person needing help. The Council has agreed to share our decision with staff to remind them of the need to cover all aspects of need to encourage vulnerable people to use their services.

Case Ref: 20 006 722 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide evidence to the Ombudsman it has arranged or carried out training for relevant officers to cover the need to ensure reviews of education, health and care plans take place promptly after 12 months and of the timescales required for issuing final plans.
• The Council has already apologised for the delay completing the review and referring Mr C’s son for a mentor.

Case Ref: 20 006 718 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will send a memo to officers dealing with education, health and care plans to remind them of the need to ensure reviews take place promptly after 12 months and of the timescales required for issuing final plans;
• The Council will send a memo to officers dealing with provision of education to children out of school to ensure they are aware of the need to work with parents and, where relevant, to put in place a clear plan to increase education over time and to assess the provision in place.

Case Ref: 20 005 372 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has also agreed to have in place a policy for children missing education for medical reasons. The policy should take account of current guidance and legislation.
• The Council will also provide training to relevant Council staff on the statutory duty to provide suitable education when a child is absent from school due to illness, exclusion or otherwise and the need to consider the individual circumstances of the case and all the evidence available.
• The Council will carry out an audit of children of compulsory school age who are on roll but have not attended school for more than 15 school days and where alternative provision is not being supplied, to ensure there is an assessment of their educational needs and how these are being met.

Case Ref: 20 004 611 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• Reflect on the issues raised in this decision statement and identify any areas of service improvement, particularly about removal of children without a court order in place. The Council should prepare a short report setting out what the Council intends to do to ensure a similar situation does not reoccur. This report should be sent to the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 20 003 413 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• To avoid future difficulties, the Council will: devise a working protocol about how schools and the Council's medical educational hubs should work together when a pupil is dual registered and who has SEN/medical needs preventing attendance at the mainstream school. Particular attention should be paid to Years 10 and 11 (GCSE years).

Case Ref: 20 003 321 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will send a memo to officers dealing with education, health and care plans to remind them of the need to ensure reviews take place promptly after 12 months, of the timescales for completing transition planning for those transferring to a new place of education and of the timescales required for issuing final plans.