Case Ref: 22 008 017 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide the Ombudsman with a copy of the latest quarterly report monitoring improvements to its Educational Psychology service.

Case Ref: 22 001 399 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Friends and family carers

• The Council will remind officers responsible for making case notes that these should be finalised as soon as reasonably possible after the event. This will help to avoid any confusion and minimise the potential for errors.
• This Council will consider providing those caring for children under private family arrangements with an information leaflet. This will help to explain how the arrangement works and the implications it may have for the care givers.

Case Ref: 22 000 213 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to produce an action plan to demonstrate what action it intends to take to ensure it meets statutory timescales in deciding what action to take following annual reviews of Education, Health and Care Plans going forward.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures around due diligence to ensure it has measures in place to check whether children or young people it knows are unable to attend their named placement on the Education Health and Care plan are receiving an education and the provision in line with section F of the plan.

Case Ref: 21 017 455 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• Within three months of our final decision, the Council will explain what action it will take to ensure the care home has an effective communication policy and procedure in place. This should include clear guidance for staff on the importance of effective communication with residents and their families, particularly when a resident is near the end of their life.
• Within three months of our final decision, the Council will explain what action it will take to ensure the care home has robust nutritional and hydration procedures in place. These should emphasise the importance of regular nutritional reviews and the need to seek appropriate specialist input in the event that a resident's nutritional needs change.

Case Ref: 22 008 271 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council should, through contract monitoring, ensure the care agency involved is aware of the steps it needs to take when it cannot provide care.

Case Ref: 22 008 236 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will identify key learning points from this investigation to understand why full-time education or equivalent was not provided to the child and detail what action it will take to prevent future recurrence.The purpose of the review is to inform service improvements for the future.

Case Ref: 22 007 790 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Provide updated training or guidance to relevant officers on the correct procedures and legal requirements for conducting annual reviews of Education Health and Care HC plans
• Consider any lessons that can be learned from this case and share the learning with relevant officers

Case Ref: 22 007 503 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will share learning about the application of the Dudley Test (a court judgement that set out how a council should consider whether it should pay for a parent's choice of school transport) in this case with relevant school transport officers and panel members to prevent a recurrence of the same error.

Case Ref: 22 007 365 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of: The Council’s duties under section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to provide provision or suitable education for children of compulsory age who cannot attend school because of exclusion, medical reasons or otherwise. The Department for Education statutory guidance which says where specific medical evidence, such as that provided by a medical consultant, is not quickly available, councils should consider liaising with other medical professionals, such as the child’s GP, and consider looking at other evidence to ensure minimal delay in arranging appropriate provision for the child

Case Ref: 22 006 592 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• Review its policy and procedures to decide whether it needs to make any changes to these, or provide any further written guidance to staff, to ensure staff are aware of the Dudley Test and consider all three stages when making decisions about school transport in cases of this nature