Case Ref: 23 020 528 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Adoption

• The Council has agreed to send us an action plan which sets out how it has fixed, or will fix, the problems it identified with its practice in its pre-adoption support service.

Case Ref: 22 015 676 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• Provide a report to the Ombudsman showing:a) What criteria has been used to prioritise dealing with the waiting list.b) The number of people and how long they have been on the waiting list.c) The progress that has been made in reducing the waiting list.

Case Ref: 22 015 473 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• The Council has agreed to review the need for refresher training for staff responsible for safeguarding enquiries in the Adult Social Care teams to ensure they are familiar with, and follow, all the required stages in the safeguarding procedures and work within the specified timescales.Staff should be reminded of the need to communicate with the person who made the referral and ensure they are invited to case conferences and given the opportunity to discuss the outcome of the enquiry.

Case Ref: 22 010 409 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to consider giving people the option to opt out of receiving encryptede-mails if that is their preference.

Case Ref: 22 005 635 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Direct payments

• The Council will review how requests for direct payment assessments are processed and responded to in circumstances where a contracted service provider completes the assessment and the Council’s Adult Social Care Panel makes the decision. This is to ensure a clear process where the outcome, reasons for the decision, and the steps necessary to complain about the process is shared in writing with the person who made the request, or their representative.
• The Council will remind its staff and contracted service providers about the process to follow when individuals disagree with a direct payment decision. This is to ensure complainants rights to complain about its decision are properly explained, acknowledged and responded to as set out in the Council’s Direct Payment Policy.
• The Council will remind its contracted service provider (the Community Mental Health Trust) to respond to complaints within the timescales set out in its complaint policy and inform complainants if there are delays in providing a response. This includes when attempts are being made to resolve a complaint informally.

Case Ref: 22 005 300 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• Ensure staff, residents and family at the care home are aware of visiting procedures; and that they are accessible and revised in a timely manner;
• Ensure the Care Provider has procedures in place about recording and investigating serious incidents and that staff are aware of these procedures.

Case Ref: 22 001 702 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council was at fault for keeping poor records in its housing department. It has agreed that it will complete an audit of internal housing record keeping and consider making improvements to its systems.
• The Council was at fault for a failure to inform the complainant of her right of review of the suitability of a property it provided for her.. It has agreed to provide training to all staff to ensure that they understand the duties owed under the interim and main housing duties.

Case Ref: 21 017 081 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Housing benefit and council tax benefit

• The Council should review its outstanding discretionary housing payment overpayments and set out an action plan to reduce the delays in seeking recovery. It should also consider whether these overpayments should be recovered taking into account the Department for Work and Pensions guidance regarding discretionary housing payment recovery.
• The council should remind officers that they should consider whether the Council should seek recovery of a discretionary housing payment overpayment taking into account the discretionary housing payment guidance regarding recovery.

Case Ref: 21 016 544 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to provide evidence the Care Home has procedures in place to ensure it: a)produces an inventory when someone moves there and updates it when necessary; b)stores possessions securely after someone has left or died; c)encourages families to collect them as soon as possible; and d)does not dispose of possessions without first warning families of the intention to do so.

Case Ref: 21 008 891 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to improve its housing services by ensuring it puts all accommodation offers in writing and provides maps where possible.