Case Ref: 23 013 236 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council agreed to issue a reminder to all staff in its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities service that where it decides to issue an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan following an EHC needs assessment, the family has the right to request a Personal Budget, and the Council must properly consider and respond to this request. With this staff reminder, it will also share a copy of the Ombudsman’s November 2023 Focus Report, ‘Parent Power: personal budgets in EHC Plans’.
• The Council agreed to review the process it follows after it issues a final Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan, to ensure it meets its duty to immediately secure the special educational needs provision in the Plan. It will:specifically consider its practice where a child is out of school or not engaging with education. It will ensure it properly considers to what extent it can deliver the EHC Plan and makes a record of this consideration; anddecide whether it needs to make any administrative changes to its processes, or deliver training to staff, to ensure this is not missed in future.
• The Council agreed to issue a reminder to staff in its Children’s Complaints Team, about the importance of responding to all issues raised in a complaint, so complainants do not need to escalate their concerns to get a response.

Case Ref: 23 012 748 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its staff guidance and processes so EHC assessments and reassessments are completed on time and the Regulations and Code are followed when seeking advice, to include discussing the range of advice with parents and including their representations in documentation sent to professionals.
• The Council will review its staff guidance and processes to ensure it monitors and reviews the level of education provided to children educated otherwise than at school and to ensure all provision and therapies are in place.
• The Council will remind staff of the importance of complying with Ombudsman recommendations to avoid repeat complaints.

Case Ref: 23 012 170 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will set up a process to manage annual reviews for EHC plans to ensure they are followed up on once a review has been completed.

Case Ref: 23 010 994 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council will consider how it can improve communication between the finance team and adult social care team,with a view to prevent a similar situation arising again.
• The Council will produce guidance for staff about managing debt for vulnerable adults.

Case Ref: 23 010 806 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Review its procedures and provide guidance to its staff to ensure decisions made to maintain, amend or cease Education, Health and Care Plan’s following reviews are issued within the statutory timescales.

Case Ref: 23 008 993 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review the process it follows after it issues a final Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan, to ensure it meets its duty to immediately secure the special educational needs provision in the Plan. It will:specifically consider its practice for securing the Plan where a child is Educated Otherwise Than At School (EOTAS); anddecide whether it needs to make any administrative changes to its processes, or deliver training to staff, to ensure this is not missed in future.

Case Ref: 23 005 792 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will explain how it will ensure the Placement Panel supports the Council to make sound and timely decisions about schools for children with special educational needs in the future.
• The Council will present a copy of my final decision to the next meeting of the Council’s Children's, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee and also the SEND Sub-Committee.

Case Ref: 23 011 351 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council is carrying out a commissioning review to address failures to put in place physiotherapy and other therapies it set out in the Education Health and Care plans for children and young people in its area.

Case Ref: 23 009 926 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Produce an action plan to demonstrate how the council will meet statutory timescales for annual reviews.
• Provide staff training to ensure they understand the legal framework and obligations in relation to the faults found.

Case Ref: 23 008 311 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware children who receive alternative provision should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum where appropriate. The provision must also be of a standard a child would receive in school.