Case Ref: 23 002 965 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed to share a copy of our final decision with all staff in its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service. It will remind them about:the Council’s duty under section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to secure alternative education when it is aware a child is out of school for any reason;statutory timescales for Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan reviews; the importance of communicating properly with families, responding to specific queries, and keeping them updated about any delays; andthe timescales set out in the Council’s complaints procedure, and the importance of actioning complaint outcomes without delay.
• The Council agreed to review Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)/ alternative education decisions issued by the Ombudsman since January 2023, where we have identified systemic fault and the Council has agreed to our recommendations to improve its services. It will ensure it includes these Ombudsman recommendations in its SEND Improvement Plan so it can review the effectiveness of completed service improvements.
• The Council agreed to review its processes and procedures for following up on education complaint outcomes agreed via its complaints procedures, to ensure its Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) service completes the outcomes without delay.

Case Ref: 23 002 055 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• By reviewing its procedures or other means, ensures it considers whether education provision is meeting a child’s needs and is reasonably accessible in the event a child is not attending full time or at all and keeps a record of this decision. The Council should also ensure it keeps the suitability of the education under review in the event a child does not quickly return to full time education.
• By training or other means, ensure officers are aware that all issues raised in a complaint are appropriately addressed.

Case Ref: 23 001 857 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to review how it monitors children out of school where they are not accessing alternative provision, and whether the Council is giving due consideration to its duty to provide alternative provision in these cases.
• The Council has agreed to remind complaint handlers that where the Council upholds a complaint and identifies injustice, it should consider if injustice has been caused to the complainant and whether a remedy is appropriate.

Case Ref: 23 001 364 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review how Special Educational Needs caseworkers keep families updated during the Education, Health and Care needs assessments that are outside timescales, and how it implements and monitors recommendations made during complaint investigations. The Council will identify any improvements that are necessary and create an action plan to implement the improvements.

Case Ref: 23 001 315 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• By training or other means remind staff of the Council’s referral processes to its commissioned advocacy services. This is to ensure people are appropriately referred to and have access to independent advocacy in line with the provisions of the Care Act 2014.
• By training or other means remind staff of the importance of providing information about its safeguarding enquiry process and communicating outcomes to the service user and/or representative(s) in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 23 001 224 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its policy and procedure for arranging therapies listed in section F of an EHC plan and consider if there is a clear process in place for obtaining this provision.

Case Ref: 23 001 210 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• The Council will review its handling of this complaint and related communications that indicates safeguarding concerns. It will then share any lessons learned from the review in anonymised format with the appropriate teams.
• The Council and the NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) will jointly review, and if necessary update, the systems and protocols they have in place for transferring care responsibilities from one organisation to another. This should include risk management and information sharing, both at the point of transfer and during any lead-in or transition period.

Case Ref: 23 000 778 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will share the Ombudsman’s guidance on the principles of good administrative practice with relevant officers and managers. This will help to ensure it communicates in a timely and effective manner with those using its services.
• The Council will share the Ombudsman's guidance on effective complaint handling with relevant officers and managers. This will help to ensure complaints are dealt with in a timely and effective manner and complainants receive effective communication throughout the process.

Case Ref: 23 000 444 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of its section 19 duty to make suitable full-time educational provision to children who are absent from school due to illness, exclusion or otherwise

Case Ref: 22 018 076 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will review its processes to ensure actions recommended in complaint responses are carried out, including a mechanism to check all actions have been completed before the complaint is closed.