1. How many complaints were made against, or making reference to, Devon County Council, in:
o 2019
o 2020
o 2021
o 2022 to date
Devon County Council (DCC) do not hold this information in calendar years, but in financial years. We do not hold the data for 2022/2023.
2018-19 – 1454
2019-20 – 1321
2020-21 – 1090
2021-22 – 1458
2. How many complaints were made against, or making reference to, the Devon County Council 0-25 team, in:
o 2019
o 2020
o 2021
o 2022 to date
DCC do not hold this information in calendar years, but in financial years. We do not hold the data for 2022/2023.
2018-19 – 55
2019-20 – 23
2020-21 – 48
2021-22 – 102
3. How many complaints were made against, or making reference to, the Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation team, in:
o 2019
o 2020
o 2021
o 2022 to date
DCC believes compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is £450 or 18 hours of officer time. This is because to find and collate the information would require a manual search of 228 complaints. Even if this only took 5 minutes per complaint, that would equate to 19 hours of work.
4. What was the annual budget of the Devon 0-25 team in:
2019 – £1.5m
2020 – £1.8m
2021 – £2.7m
2022 – £3.3m
5. Please provide a copy of the Devon County Council 0-25 team budget for 2021 and 2022
Please see question 4. You may also find this Budgets and expenditure | Devon County Council webpage helpful.
6. Please provide a copy of the Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation team budget for 2021 and 2022.
DCC do not hold this information because there is not a separate budget for the tribunal and mediation team.
7. Please provide details of the costs and expenditure incurred by the Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation team in 2021?
DCC do not hold this information because there is not a separate budget for the tribunal and mediation team.
8. Please provide details of the number of appeals submitted by individuals / families in relation to EHC Plans, in:
2019 – 64
2020 – 115
2021 – 111
2022 – 102 (as of 08/08/2022)
9. How many tribunal hearings did Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation team participate in, in respect of appeals relating to EHC Plans from 2019 to date?
DCC believes compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is £450 or 18 hours of officer time. This is because to find and collate the information would require a manual search of over 390 case files. Even if this only took 10 minutes per case file, that would equate to 65 hours of work. By means of advice and assistance, you may find this previous Education Health and Care Plan Appeals and Tribunals – Freedom of information (devon.gov.uk) request response helpful
10. Please provide details of the outcomes of appeals relating to EHC Plans raised from 2019 to date
DCC believes compliance with this request would exceed the appropriate costs limit under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which is £450 or 18 hours of officer time. This is because to find and collate the information would require a manual search of over 390 case files. Even if this only took 10 minutes per case file, that would equate to 65 hours of work. By means of advice and assistance, you may find this previous Education Health and Care Plan Appeals and Tribunals – Freedom of information (devon.gov.uk) request response helpful
11. Please provide details of the targets and/or objectives set for any and all Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation Officers in 2021.
No targets or objectives are set by DCC. Each matter is considered according to the issues raised, relevant law and the merits of the case.
12. Please provide details of the targets and/or objectives set for any and all Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation Officers in 2022.
No targets or objectives are set by DCC. Each matter is considered according to the issues raised, relevant law and the merits of the case.
13. Please provide copies of any guidelines, policies or other documentation pertaining to the activities undertaken by the Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation team which were in place from 2019 to date
DCC adhere to the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (legislation.gov.uk), Children Act 1989 (legislation.gov.uk), Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (legislation.gov.uk), Education Act 1996 (legislation.gov.uk), Equality Act 2010 (legislation.gov.uk), Children and Families Act 2014 (legislation.gov.uk), Care Act 2014 (legislation.gov.uk), The Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) Rules 2008 (legislation.gov.uk), The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (legislation.gov.uk), The Special Educational Needs (Personal Budgets) Regulations 2014 (legislation.gov.uk), The Special Educational Needs and Disability (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (legislation.gov.uk), The Special Educational Needs and Disability (First-tier Tribunal Recommendations Power) Regulations 2017 (legislation.gov.uk) and the SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk). DCC do not have any internal guidance.
14. Please confirm the job titles and tenure, as at the date of this request, of all members of the Devon County Council Tribunal and Mediation team
SEN Mediation and Tribunal Officers. 5 years and 8 months combined