Case Ref: 24 003 662 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Demonstrate how it will ensure that officers always carry out a suitability assessment to identify the household’s needs before making a placement in interim or temporary accommodation.
• Show how it will monitor homelessness applications and set reminders of statutory deadlines e.g. 56 days.

Case Ref: 23 018 891 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Send a reminder to all staff that if the relief duty is accepted this means it has accepted the person is homeless and that this should be reflected in any decisions on the main housing duty.
• Send a reminder to staff that in cases of domestic abuse, contact with the applicant should only be made via agreed methods to avoid the risk of harm.

Case Ref: 23 016 243 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Provide training to staff who manage homelessness applications to ensure there are no unnecessary delays in completing assessments.

Case Ref: 22 018 050 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• Remind staff involved with complaints that the Council is able to use discretion when considering whether to accept a complaint from a representative of a person who cannot consent.
• Develop a procedure for dealing with adult social care complaints, which should include how its complaints process interacts with those of commissioned care providers.

Case Ref: 22 016 884 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will review its procedures for disrupted foster placements to include contingency plans in case the Council is unable to find a foster placement in time.

Case Ref: 22 015 631 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council to review its allocations policy and procedures for notifying applicants of its decisions on their housing applications and about their right to request a review of these decisions; and
• consider what action it can take to address its backlog of housing register assessments.

Case Ref: 21 017 488 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Charging

• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that when the Council decides to end a direct payment arrangement it writes to the person concerned to confirm the arrangement has ended and sets out the alternative arrangements it has put in place to ensure the adult’s eligible needs for care and support continue to be met.

Case Ref: 22 008 107 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to explain to the Ombudsman what measures it will put in place to ensure that amended Education, Health and Care Plans are issued in the required timescale following an Annual Review meeting.
• The Council has agreed to explain to the Ombudsman what measures it will put in place to ensure that it picks up on and responds to formal complaints it receives about its Special Educational Needs and Disability service.

Case Ref: 21 010 908 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed that it would provide relevant staff with a briefing to learn lessons from this complaint. This was to ensure they received a reminder on the need to act promptly on receipt of a Special Educational Needs and Disability tribunal decision, to put in place the provision outlined in a final amended Education, Care and Health Plan.

Case Ref: 21 010 226 Category: Education Sub Category: COVID-19

• •Review its ‘medical provision policy’ and associated documents and ensure they are consistent with The Education Act 1996 and statutory guidance
• •Review its procedures for providing GCSE learning for children unable to attend school.
• •Review its policies and procedures to make sure it keeps sufficient oversight and control of the arrangements with Achieving for Children.
• •Provide Achieving for Children staff with training on the Council’s revised ‘medical provision policy’ and procedures for providing GCSE learning for children unable to attend school.