Case Ref: 22 015 298 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to circulate guidance to its panel of IRP clerks, to ensure they are aware the statutory guidance says that, where they have requested the attendance of a SEN expert at a review meeting, but the expert is not present, parents may ask for the meeting to be adjourned until the expert is available; and that the IRP must explain this right to parents.

Case Ref: 22 013 386 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to remind staff of the complaint process and procedures.

Case Ref: 21 013 182 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Reviews its guidance to staff on when its Section 19 duty is triggered to ensure the recommendations in the Ombudsman’s focus report above are reflected in this. The Council should consider including guidance on our recommendation that councils should choose, based on all the evidence, whether to enforce attendance or provide the child with suitable alternative education.
• Ensure there is a clear audit trail to evidence decisions taken on non-attendance and alternative provision.
• Shares this decision with relevant staff members.

Case Ref: 22 000 694 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council should review its procedures to ensure that administrative errors (such as sending the wrong documents) do not recur.

Case Ref: 21 018 782 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide training or guidance to staff working in Children’s Services on the Council’s statutory duties, including timescales for the Education Health and Care plan review process; notifying rights of appeal with a final Education Health and Care plan and the duty to secure section f provision (educational provision outlined in the Education Health and Care plan).

Case Ref: 21 011 551 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Licensing

• The Council will remind staff in its Parks and Countryside Service and Licensing Service of its complaints policy. This will include when to respond to contact as a complaint and that they should work together to provide complainants with a joined up, comprehensive and timely response when they receive complaints about issues that involve more than one service.

Case Ref: 21 011 239 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council has agreed to circulate guidance to relevant staff to ensure they understand its policy on dealing with complaints about waste collection.

Case Ref: 21 010 289 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its processes to ensure it amends and issues Education Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans) following an annual review in line with statutory timescales and the requirements of the SEND Code of Practice. It will also review its procedures for carrying out interim / emergency reviews of EHC Plans, in line with the requirements of the Code.
• The Council will ensure it has a mechanism in place to check provision specified in an Education Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan) is arranged from the start of a new or amended plan. It will also review sources of Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) services and develop a plan to ensure it can commission SALT therapies needed to support the EHC Plans it maintains.
• The Council will explain the work completed with the Integrated Care Board and Children’s Hospital and other partners to review Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) services across the city, to ensure there is adequate high-quality support for all children who need SALT input. The Council will also submit a report on this to the relevant council scrutiny committee.

Case Ref: 21 009 789 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will remind the school transport appeal panel that its decision notice needs to include reference to all the evidence considered.

Case Ref: 21 007 520 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed to review how stage three investigations make recommendations at the end of the investigation. The Council should review how it will address parts complaints that are upheld and ensure there are actions to ensure these are addressed.
• The Council has also agreed to share the final decision with the stage three panel.
• The Council has agreed to review whether further visits were recorded that did not take place, and audit other cases where the social worker may have populated visits. If the Council finds that other visits were recorded, it should consider whether a referral to the appropriate regulatory body is necessary. The Council should tell the Ombudsman of the result of this audit.
• The Council has agreed to review how and when it communicates with parents about health concerns and developments for children, and consider providing further training to staff in this area.