Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of the Council’s children’s services. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council considered the complaint under the statutory procedure for children’s complaints.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains about how the Council dealt with safeguarding concerns raised by her children’s schools. Ms X says the Council provided her with inaccurate information about its processes and that its assessments included inaccurate information.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Ms X’s complaint has completed the three stages of the statutory procedure for complaints about children’s services. It has been upheld in part. The Council has accepted all recommendations made at Stages 2 and 3 of the procedure. It has apologised and agreed to make amendments to and assessment and add a note to Ms X’s case file regarding to accuracy of information held. It has also agreed to share learning with relevant departments from the issues upheld during its investigations.
6. We would not reinvestigate a complaint that has gone through the statutory process for children’s complaints unless there is evidence of fault or omission in the Council’s consideration under the process.
7. I will not investigate Ms X’s complaint. The complaint documents indicate that the matter has been properly investigated under the statutory procedure. The findings are reasonable and defensible, and the Council has accepted them. That being the case, it is not for the Ombudsman to criticise the findings or intervene to substitute an alternative view.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate @’s complaint because @

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman