Case Ref: 21 004 099 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• Use this case as an example, to ensure staff dealing with complaints are aware of the circumstances when the statutory complaints process should be used for children’s social care services complaints.

Case Ref: 21 002 909 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• The Council will provide evidence of the improvements it states it has made in complaint acknowledgement, tracking and response as a result of a complaint about a planning enforcement matter.

Case Ref: 20 013 681 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Adoption

• The Council agreed to review its Guidance on Adoption Allowances and Support to ensure it is clear on the financial support that is available and when.
• The Council agreed to brief relevant staff including those in the Adoption Agency of the procedure for requesting financial support.
• The Council agreed to remind all staff on the complaints team that any complaint about a child or any children’s services must be reviewed to ensure the correct procedure is followed.

Case Ref: 20 007 386 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to remind staff of the importance of notifying next of kin when a person is moved into residential care.

Case Ref: 20 004 448 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council has agreed to identify the action it needs to take to make sure it: a) does a person-centred risk assessment before deciding someone’s needs can be met at another care home; b) provides people with indicative personal budgets; c) responds to requests for information about third-party top-ups for care home fees; d) does not delay in sending people a care and support plan.

Case Ref: 19 017 971 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its processes for seeking advice during Educational, Health and Care needs assessments to ensure officers discuss the range of advice to be sought at the start of the process, advice is sought in a timely way and that advice provided is specified and quantified.
• The Council will review its complaint processes to ensure files are not closed without agreed actions being implemented.

Case Ref: 19 015 422 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• The Council will confirm what actions it has taken to improve complaints handling, particularly logging cases and ensuring they are responded to on time and with accurate data.

Case Ref: 19 013 859 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transition from childrens services

• The Council agreed to provide the Ombudsman with an update of the lessons learnt process it carried out with the staff involved in planning for transition from children to adult care services.
• The Council agreed to review its internal procedures around planning for a young person's transition from children to adult care services to prevent delays occurring in similar cases.

Case Ref: 19 011 001 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Remind staff that the Council cannot devolve its alternative education duty under s.19 of the Education Act 1996 to a school.