Detailed information of Policy 23.2 of the Welfare Assessment Process.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Cornwall Council,

I would like more detailed information on Policy 23.2 of the Welfare Assessment Process set by Cornwall Council members when the Unitary Authority was set up, and I request the information in the public interest.

I quote: "23.2 Once the appropriate form has been completed it will be assessed by a Welfare Panel. There are three Welfare Panels, one for the east, central and west of the County. Each panel includes representatives from Social Services, the Health Authority, the Cornwall Homechoice team and other relevant agencies as appropriate. The Panel considers the suitability of an applicant's current accommodation given their medical or welfare need.", unquote.

When the members of Cornwall Council determined Homechoice Policy 23.2, did they also determine the minimum qualifications the Health Authority Representative should have ?

For example could the Health Authority Representative on a Welfare Panel be only a support worker ? or did the members of Cornwall Council indicate that the Health Authority Representative should be a suitably qualified Professional Representative.

Yours faithfully,

Geoff McLaughlin

Cornwall Council

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI)/Environmental Information
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EGD - Freedom of Information, Cornwall Council

2 Attachments

Dear Mr McLoughlin

 

Please find attached a letter formally enclosing the Council’s response to
your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, if
you have difficulty in opening the attachments, please let me know.

 

Alice Cunliffe | Senior Business Officer

Cornwall Council |Planning & Sustainable Development

[1][email address]  | Tel: 01726 223530

[2]www.cornwall.gov.uk | 'Onen hag oll'

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Dear Cornwall Council,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Cornwall Council's handling of my FOI request 'Detailed information of Policy 23.2 of the Welfare Assessment Process.'.

With regard to the 3 Welfare Priority Assessment Panels that assessed my late wife's application on 10 July, 16 October and 27 November 2012, I acknowledge the majority of Panel members consisted of professional employees of Cornwall Council and Cornwall Housing Ltd, and that Members of Cornwall Council did not set any minimum qualification standards within Council Policy regarding the suitability and qualifications of a Health Authority representative on the Panel.

I suggest from this FOI reply that Cornwall Council has abdicated its responsibility in putting the onus on the NHS Trust managers to provide a "suitable representative" rather than the Council accept its responsibility for the safety and appropriateness of Panel members sitting on a local authority run function and in the best interest and well being of the public.

I have no doubt that if I made a similar FOI request to the NHS Trust regarding the minimum qualifications of a Health Authority Representative on a Council run Welfare Panel, the NHS Trust would most likely suggest I request the answer from the Council because it is a local authority function.

So to save time would you please ask your NHS Trust Partner what the minimum qualifications of a Health Authority Representative on a Council Welfare Panel was in 2012, and what it is now in 2018.

I have suggested on social media that because there is no minimum qualifications for a Health Authority Representative to sit on a Council run Welfare Panel that an NHS Trust cleaner or similar is therefore qualified to do the job. If you disagree please explain why a cleaner or similar cannot do the job.

With further regard to the 3 Welfare Priority Assessment Panels mentioned earlier that assessed my late wife's application none had a Health Authority Representative and Council Policy set by Members of the Council were broken like there was no tomorrow by Cornwall Housing Manager Jon Warner despite it also being his job to implement Council Policy. I would appreciate your clarification.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

Yours faithfully,

Geoff McLaughlin

Freedom Of Information Mail, Cornwall Council

1 Attachment

  • Attachment

    Internal review of Freedom of Information request Detailed information of Policy 23.2 of the Welfare Assessment Process..txt

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Dear Mr McLaughlin

 

Thank you for your e-mail.  We are sorry to hear that you are unhappy with
the response to your recent request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

 

As required by the legislation, a full review of your original request
will now be undertaken. The case number remains as FOI-101004084972 which
we would kindly ask you to quote on all correspondence.

 

Please note that under the FOI, a public authority has up to 20 working
days in which to respond to an internal review. Where the information has
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We therefore anticipate responding to you on or before the 19-11-2018, but
will endeavour to respond sooner wherever possible.

 

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EGD - Freedom of Information, Cornwall Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr McLaughlin

 

Please find attached the Council’s response to your request for an
Internal Review into the processing of your FOI request reference
FOI-101004084972.

 

If you have any difficulty in opening the attachment please let me know.

 

Regards

 

Laura Orton, Development Officer (Specialist)

Cornwall Council, Planning and Sustainable Development

[1][email address], Internal Tel: 423469, External Tel: 01726
223469

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5DR

 

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Dear EGD - Freedom of Information,The FOI Internal Review on 15th November 2018 from Cornwall Council was all pretty predictable ducking and diving.

If I made a similar request to the Foundation Trust (CFT) the CFT would say the Welfare Assessments are a public function run by Cornwall Council who I should direct my FOI request to.

Cornwall Council will recall I did lodge a complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) in 2014 regarding rigged Welfare Priority Assessments and abuses, and the illegal ring-fencing of Homechoice properties involving deception.

The Council will also recall the LGO decided in the Council’s favour thanks largely to Council henchman Simon JR Mansell MBE CILEX, then Principle Legal Officer for Cornwall Council, who dealt with the complaint and who wilfuly misled the LGO into believing the NHS employee named in the complaint was a qualified CPN despite Mr Mansell knowing the individual in question was merely a support worker.

With regard to the unlawful practice of ring-fencing Homechoice properties involving deception by Cornwall Council and its housing partner Sanctuary Housing, the LGO did not have the jurisdiction to investigate the ring-fencing role played by Sanctuary Housing for Cornwall Council, so again ruled in the Council’s favour.

Perversly the LGO ruled in the Council’s favour before I had even been sent and read the Council’s reply to my complaint.

I will no longer deal with the ICO since it closed a complaint against Devon & Cornwall Police Data Protection Unit prematurely and whilst I was still awaiting information/evidence I was entitled to receive in-accordance with the Act. This served only to protect Devon & Cornwall Police and pervert the course of justice by enabling Devon & Cornwall Police to withhold information/evidence until months after a Trial in 2016.

What was considered to be an “independent public advocate”, I now consider the ICO to be a money making protection racket for government, in my humble opinion.

Yours sincerely,

Geoff McLaughlin