Dorset Council (20 003 763)

Statement Upheld Child protection 29-Mar-2022

Summary: Dorset Council had already accepted it was at fault when it wrongly provided the complainant’s partner with confidential information about her. The Council will now formally apologise and increase the payment it offered her to acknowledge the impact of this.

North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (21 003 189)

Statement Upheld Fostering 29-Mar-2022

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to properly advise him about the care options or financial support available when it placed his nephew with him. Mr X complained he did not receive the correct allowances or fostering fees which caused him financial difficulties. The Council’s failure to provide Mr X with sufficient information to enable him to make an informed decision regarding the SGO and the support he would receive amounts to fault. This fault has caused Mr X a significant injustice.

Milton Keynes Council (21 003 690)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 29-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs C’s complaint about the Council’s failure to provide adequate support for her adopted son. This is because the Council has agreed to carry out an investigation under the statutory complaints procedure for children’s services.

London Borough of Croydon (20 009 010)

Report Upheld Other 28-Mar-2022

Summary: Mr and Mrs A complain the Council failed to provide the support set out in a care plan for a child in their care.

Lincolnshire County Council (21 011 518)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 28-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to take action following safeguarding referrals.

London Borough of Croydon (21 011 703)

Statement Not upheld Other 28-Mar-2022

Summary: Ms X complained to the Council about disability discrimination in dealing with her over an assessment of her daughter’s social care needs. She complained to the Ombudsman that the Council refused to progress her complaint to the second stage of the complaints process but instead told her to make a legal claim. The Council has now decided to investigate the complaint at stage 2 of the children’s social care complaints procedure. We have therefore decided to stop investigating the complaint as it would not achieve any more for Ms X at this stage. Once she has completed the complaints process she may make another complaint to the Ombudsman if she is not happy with the outcome.

London Borough of Brent (21 018 157)

Statement Upheld Other 28-Mar-2022

Summary: The Council is at fault for delaying consideration of this complaint under the children’s statutory complaints procedure. The Council has agreed to issue its stage two response and make a payment to the complainant for the time and trouble its delay has caused.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (21 018 023)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 28-Mar-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions regarding Miss X and her child. This is because parts of the complaint are late and there are good reasons to consider them now. Other parts of the complaint relate to matters which were subject to court action.

Surrey County Council (21 006 640)

Statement Upheld Looked after children 27-Mar-2022

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to arrange suitable contact with her children or update her on their progress while they lived with foster carers. The Council was at fault for failing to send Ms X some of the records of her contact sessions with the children. The missed contact records caused Ms X undue distress. We recommend the Council apologise and send her the records. The Council was also at fault for failing to properly facilitate arrangements for a family holiday. It had already taken appropriate steps to remedy that fault. The Council was not at fault in the other matters Ms X complained about.

Cambridgeshire County Council (21 018 058)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 27-Mar-2022

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about child protection action in 2018. The matters complained of are not separable from those that those that were subject to court action. The complaint is also late, and there would be no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it even if there had been no court action.