Local Government Ombudsman

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London Borough of Lambeth (04B08875)

Children and family services    Maladministration causing injustice

‘Mr and Mrs Bridge’ (not their real name) live in Germany and applied to the Council to become adoptive parents. After they had attended preparation courses in this country, the Council wrongly advised them that they could not become adoptive parents as they did not live in this country. The Council should have ensured that Mr and Mrs Bridge were aware that they had to be domiciled in this country in order to be considered to become adoptive parents.

The Bridges complained to the Council and asked to be reimbursed for the costs they had incurred in attending the preparation courses. They complained to the Ombudsman as they did not consider that their complaint had been properly addressed under the social services complaints procedure.

The Ombudsman finds maladministration causing injustice and recommends that the Council should:

  • apologise to Mr and Mrs Bridge for:
    • its failure to ensure that they were aware that they could not become adoptive parents unless they satisfied the domicile criteria;
    • wrongly advising them that they could not adopt a child in this country simply because they lived in Germany; and
    • the way in which the Council mishandled their complaint;
  • reimburse the costs of £1,470 that the Bridges incurred in attending the preparation sessions;
  • pay Mr and Mrs Bridge the sum of £3,500 as compensation for the frustration, worry, outrage and the very considerable time and trouble taken in pursuing their complaint since October 2002; and
  • review the way it handles social services complaints in order to ensure that the maladministration identified in this case does not recur; and in doing this, commission external assistance to satisfy itself that its arrangements for fulfilling its statutory functions in this area are fit for purpose.
     

Date Updated: 23/04/09