Case Ref: 19 015 260 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council did not recognise its responsibilities to ensure a child out of school received suitable education and SEN provision. It has now agreed to provide training to all staff working in children’s education on the Council’s statutory responsibilities.
• The Council was unable to arrange alternative provision for a child with complex needs. It has now agreed to source additional providers of alternative provision to ensure it can provide education to children with complex needs should the need arise.

Case Ref: 19 013 265 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council agreed to review its child in care review procedures to ensure it provides all parents excluded from reviews with the relevant consultation documents.

Case Ref: 19 011 815 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council has agreed to arrange the delivery of refresher training to its adult social care staff on how, and when, to make child safeguarding referrals.
• The Council has agreed to decide whether amendments should be made to its local Safeguarding Children Partnership’s procedures, and, if so, to make representations to the Partnership.
• The Council has agreed to work with the other council which was the subject of this complaint, and to jointly agree an approach which can be used in future cases when a child lives in one area but, potentially, is at risk of harm in another. The Council has agreed that this approach will set out how it will deal with such referrals in future, will be the approach it takes to all cross-border child protection cases (with any other council), and will be shared with all staff who deal with children’s safeguarding referrals.
• The Council has agreed to deliver refresher training on cross-border child protection to its staff members who deal with children’s safeguarding referrals.

Case Ref: 19 010 314 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Child protection

• The Council agreed to remind relevant staff of the deadline for circulating the minutes from children's safeguarding strategy meetings.

Case Ref: 19 008 309 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that it complies with its duty to provide appropriate and timely information on care home charging, including when it provides information in writing.
• The Council has agreed to ensure that officers are reminded of the Council's duties under the Care Act to provide appropriate and timely information on care home charging.
• The Council has agreed to ensure that its publication for self-funding residents contains sufficient information to make them aware of the 12-week property disregard and any time constraints.

Case Ref: 19 007 211 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• The Council will send a memo to those responsible for setting up safeguarding meetings following the death of a service user to remind them of the need to ensure all relevant family members are invited or given an opportunity to select a representative from the family to attend.

Case Ref: 19 006 286 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will • Remind the relevant staff of the importance of providing a detailed care plan and a personal budget which gives an explanation of how the budget was calculated. • As part of its review of how it invoices clients, it will ensure that its invoices are transparent so that it is clear what the amount relates to. It will also ensure appropriate auditing to ensure that the agencies are providing the care that is set out in the care plan and the invoices.

Case Ref: 19 005 926 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide evidence of the actions it is taking to ensure Education, Health and Care Plans are being completed within the statutory timescales.

Case Ref: 19 005 803 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Within four months the Council will develop a pathway for non-school attendance, where there is no medical reason to explain this, which allows prompt early intervention to resolve matters;
• after this, to develop a timetable for deciding on the success of early intervention and whether prosecution of parents is now required, having first ensured that there is no medical reason for the non-attendance;
• if prosecution is agreed, the council should have a timetable for taking this action;
• the council will review all Year 10 and 11 pupils, who are not attending school, to ensure the same errors of this case are not recurring.

Case Ref: 19 005 567 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to take action to prevent delays in the EHCP process in future. It will inform the Ombudsman of the actions taken.