Case Ref: 20 002 399 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Reflect on the issues raised in this decision statement and identify any areas of unresolved service improvement. The Council should prepare a short report setting out what the Council intends to do to ensure similar problems not reoccur. This report should be sent to the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 20 000 381 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Disabled children

• The Council has agreed to where a child has significant physical disabilities, requiring regular occupational therapy (OT) support/provision, the Council will consider arranging joint visits with the OT and social worker for the purposes of a children and family assessment;
• social care staff will routinely be invited to EHCP reviews and, where they cannot attend, they will submit a report;
• there will be clear timetable for decision making on social care packages. We have recommended that it should be 12 weeks between referral to the decision;
• the Council will devise a policy/procedure whereby, despite a disagreement with a parent/carer over the care package, it can provide an interim care package while the dispute is being resolved; and the Council will devise a form of words whereby a parent can record their disagreement with the care package, or amount of DPs, so that DPs can still be offered while the dispute is being resolved.
• the Council will develop an appeal system for parents/carers when they disagree with the Panel's decision, instead of them having to pursue a time consuming complaint under the statutory process. The appeal should be heard by a different Panel promptly (I suggested within four weeks),. If the appeal does not resolve the issue, parents/carers can complain under the complaints process but with the proviso that an interim care package is provided by the Council while the complaint is being considered.

Case Ref: 19 016 053 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council should remind officers that where a school is unwilling or unable to implement provision for a child as specified in their education health and care plan, the Council must ensure this is addressed promptly.

Case Ref: 20 007 424 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transport

• The Council has agreed to ensure letters refusing Blue Badge applications contain enough detail for the applicant to understand why their application was unsuccessful.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the need to consider time and pain as well as distance when assessing a Blue Badge applicant’s ability to walk.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that records of Blue Badge decisions must contain sufficient detail to demonstrate that the relevant Department for Transport guidance and criteria were considered.
• The Council has agreed to remind staff that the relevant test for a Blue Badge is whether a disability is “enduring and substantial” not “permanent and substantial” and amend any templates and internal guidance accordingly.

Case Ref: 20 005 821 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Disabled children

• The Council agreed to review its complaints procedure to ensure it complies with statutory guidance regarding who is eligible to have their complaint considered under the statutory children's complaints procedure.

Case Ref: 20 005 238 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to share the Final Decision with staff to reflect the importance of reviewing care and support plans.
• The Council have agreed to complete an action plan and clear timetable within one month of the FD detailing how a review into similar faults or injustice have occurred will be undertaken and resourced
• The Council has agreed to undertake a review into similar faults and injustice and update the Ombudsman of its progress every three months until completion.

Case Ref: 20 004 429 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transport

• It has also agreed to issue a reminder to officers that decision letters must provide enough detail for applicants to understand why they were not awarded a blue badge andchange the wording used in its standard letters to better inform applicants of the reasons for refusal.

Case Ref: 20 004 241 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council agreed to remind relevant staff of the importanceof record keeping to evidence consideration of non-binding recommendations made by SENDIST.

Case Ref: 19 018 937 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will amend its standard letters to ensure it refers a person to the appeals process for home to school transport, should they remain unhappy with the review outcome.
• The Council will amend its home to school transport guidance to inform parents they can contact the Council to find their nearest school and warn the mapping system updates annually which could change the nearest school from year to year.

Case Ref: 19 017 019 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• For the Council to ensure meeting notes are issued within statutory timescales. It will send me a copy of its procedures.
• For the Council to ensure it will progress complaints appropriately. It says it has started an awareness campaign and reviewed its documentation and it is asked to share these with me.