Case Ref: 22 006 334 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Remind relevant staff of the Care and Support Statutory guidance which says plans can be reviewed in three ways: a planned review; an unplanned review (usually due to a change in circumstances); and a requested review (when the person or another party asks for a review).

Case Ref: 22 006 212 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• It is noted that as a result of previous investigations by this office, the Council has agreed to a series of procedural improvements in delivery of services to children with special educational needs over the past 18 months. This has included: reminding staff on the importance of effective communications duringthe Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process; introducing measuresto ensure the Council actions the outcome of annual review meetings promptlyand has systems in place to monitor this and to ensure it meets the statutorytimescales;reminding staff of the need to ensure the Council provides any educationprovision detailed within an EHCP; addressing withschools any instance where a school is unwilling or unable to make theprovision set out in a pupil’s EHCP; reminding staff on the importance of complying with Governmentguidance on its duties under Section 19 of the Education Act to provide alternative education for children not in school; reminding staff ofthe need to keep to timescales set out in its complaint procedure. Given that this investigation identified fault in these areas, the Council has agreed that it will consider what further steps it may need to take to embed these improvements in service and write to us with what further action it proposes to take.

Case Ref: 22 006 174 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Council has agreed to review its procedures for ensuring phase transfer reviews are completed within the required timescales and its SEN officers are aware of these timescales and their importance; and
• Council has agreed to review its procedures for ensuring reviews are completed within the required timescales and its SEN officers are aware of these timescales and their importance.

Case Ref: 22 005 875 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Ensure relevant staff are appropriately trained with respect to the annual review process. The Council should ensure staff are aware of the statutory time scales and the correct processes when it decides to amend or maintain a EHCP.

Case Ref: 22 005 871 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to identify the action it is going to take to make sure the financialassessment process takes account of its duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Case Ref: 22 003 217 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to review how it arranges alternative education for permanently excluded pupils to ensure it arranges a full-time education form the sixth day following exclusion unless it decides this is not in a pupil’s interests. Where this is the case, it should ensure it fully records its decision about this and shares the reasons for its decision with parents.
• The Council agreed to review its approach to reviewing Education Health and Care plans following the permanent exclusion from schools named in those plans. It should ensure it properly considers whether to review Education Health and Care plans when it becomes aware such a school placement has permanently broken down.

Case Ref: 22 002 957 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind officers they must consider parental requests for professional advice during Educational Health and Care Plan assessments and seek the advice, if the request is reasonable.
• The Council will remind officers of the importance of keeping parents updated during the Education, Health and Care needs assessment process.
• The Council will review its Education, Health and Care plan procedures to ensure: officers complete the required paperwork after annual reviews and it has an effective way to monitor this; it completes needs assessments and re-assessments within the statutory timescales and it has an effective way to monitor this.

Case Ref: 22 002 630 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to identify the action it is going to take to ensure officers take moreproactive action to avoid people being moved to another care home when stepscould be taken to avoid this.

Case Ref: 21 019 100 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed within three months of the date of my final decision:to consider any further action it can take to increase the choice and availability of placements for young people in D’s position.

Case Ref: 21 017 835 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• Provide evidence from the Care Provider of the reviewed policies for inventories when people move into the care home;
• Through contract monitoring ensure that staff are reminded and if necessary trained on:- human rights and how the way in which care is provided can infringe on these rights such as the right to family life; recording of decisions, and reviewing care plans; the importance of following and recording advice from other professionals such as the GP; the need to contact family members when there are significant changes in a resident’s care needs or circumstances.