Summary: Ms X complains about how the Council handled safeguarding referrals about her children, and the Child in Need process. She complains the Council has not properly responded to her complaint. She says this has caused her distress. The Ombudsman does not find fault with the Council.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the lack of support provided to the complainant when she was a child. This is because an absence of records, and the time that has passed, mean it would be impossible to carry out an effective investigation.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about a referral to Children’s Services and the Council’s handling of a complaint under the Children Act complaints procedure until the complaint has been considered by a review panel.
Summary: Mr D complains the Council failed to provide his daughter with suitable education when she could not attend school due to anxiety and delayed issuing her education, health and care plan. The Ombudsman has found fault causing injustice. The Council has agreed to make a payment to benefit Mr D’s daughter’s education.
Summary: Miss X complains of the delay by the Council in issuing an Education and Health Care Plan for Child Y. Based on the evidence seen the Ombudsman has found fault with the Council and because of this, Y missed the education he was entitled to. To remedy the injustice caused to Y and his brother, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a financial payment and review its process.
Summary: Ms X complained about the way the Council dealt with her children’s Education, Health and Care Plans. The Ombudsman finds no fault by the Council or significant injustice to Ms X.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the School’s Admissions Appeal Panel failed to provide his child with a place. It is unlikely the Ombudsman would find fault which caused them to lose out on a school place.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that the school admission panel was at fault in refusing her appeal for a school place for her child. It is unlikely we would find fault by the appeal panel acting on the School’s behalf.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint that the Council’s school admission appeal panel failed to properly consider her appeal for a school place for her daughter. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault by the Council in its handling of the appeal.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council’s Schools Admissions Appeal Panel failed to provide her child with a place at her preferred school. It is unlikely the Ombudsman would find fault which caused them to lose out on a school place.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the actions of the Council’s social services in relation to the complainant’s contact with his daughter. This is because there is no fault in the majority of the Council’s actions complained of. The other actions are out of the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the involvement of the Council’s social services with the complainants’ family. This is because we could not add anything further to the Council’s investigation or provide the outcome that the complainants seek.
Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint about the actions of the Council in respect of the complainant’s family and his relationship with his son. This is because the matters raise are connected with court proceedings, and are out of the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the refusal to allocate a place for the complainant’s son in one of the Council’s schools. This is because there is no fault in the actions of the Council.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs A’s complaint that the Council was at fault in failing to allocate her son a school place, and that the school admission appeal panel failed to properly consider her appeal. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault on the Council’s part.
Summary: Ms B complained about the way in which the Council dealt with issues of abuse in her family and subsequent provision of support since 2015, causing her severe distress and practical difficulties. We found the Council delayed in acting effectively when the first incident between the children occurred in December 2015. It then delayed for over two years in providing specialist support for Ms B’s daughter. The Council has agreed to continue to fund therapy for Ms B and D, to provide some family mediation therapy and to provide a holiday for the whole family along with community activities for D.
Summary: Mrs X complains the Council failed to accept she resigned as a foster carer in October 2016. The Council found the letter on the foster child’s file in 2018 and this confirmed Mrs X only gave notice on the placement and was not her resignation as a foster carer. There is no fault by the Council investigating complaints by the foster child and referring the matter to a fostering review panel. There is fault in the Council’s response to the notice to end the placement and her complaints about the resignation letter.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s late complaint about care proceedings initiated by the Council. This is because the issue has been considered in court. The complaint is therefore outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction and we have no discretion to consider it.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about an unsuccessful school admission appeal. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault in how the panel reached its decision, and so we cannot question its merits.
Summary: Ms M complains the Council has not adapted her bathroom to meet the needs of her disabled children. The Council’s Occupational Therapist has assessed Ms M’s children and did not identify any needs or recommend any adaptations. There is no fault by the Council. The Ombudsman cannot question decisions made without fault.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the contact she has with her child. A Court decided Mrs X’s child’s adoption. We could not change that order including the contact she has.
Summary: Mr F complains the Council has refused to consider his complaint about his dealings with the Council in connection with concerns for the welfare of his children. Having considered the circumstances of the case, I am satisfied with the Council’s decision.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs B’s complaint that the Council’s school admission appeal panel failed to properly consider her appeal for a school place for her daughter. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault on the Council’s part.
Summary: Ms X complained that despite findings in her favour in her complaint about children’s social care services, the Council has not provided an adequate remedy. She says the Council has not done enough to recognise the impact on her and her family of the failings in the service. It is not possible for the Ombudsman to say the faults found were the cause of the distress she experienced through the break-up of her family. The Council has agreed a remedy for the uncertainty of not knowing what difference the faults might have made.
Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint about her children not living with her. The Court made that decision. We will not investigate her complaints about the Council’s reaction to her allegations of poor foster care. It is unlikely we could achieve more than the Council’s current response.
Summary: The Ombudsman cannot and will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about who should care for children in her extended family. A Court is currently considering this.
Summary: Mrs X complains the Council did not properly consider her appeal for home to school transport provision. Based on the evidence the Ombudsman has seen, there is no fault by the Council in the way it decided a school transport appeal.
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s alleged failure to complete Mr D’s Education, Health and Care Plan, and its alleged failure to look for alternative provision when Mr D could not continue with his college course. The complaint is late.
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Ms X’s complaint the Council issued her with penalty charge notices for her children’s non-attendance at school. This is because we cannot achieve the outcome she wants, and the court is the appropriate body to consider the Council’s decision.
We look at individual complaints about local public services and all registerable social care providers in England.
We remedy injustice and share learning from investigations to improve services. When we find a council or care provider has done something wrong, we recommend how it should put it right. We are free to use and make our decisions independently.
