London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (19 016 108)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 14-Feb-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about children services actions in 2013 and 2014. Miss X has known about the complaint for more than 12 months and there are no good reasons why Miss X did not complain to the Ombudsman sooner.

Northamptonshire County Council (19 015 299)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 10-Feb-2020

Summary: Mr X complains about the care of his daughter, whom the Council has placed in foster care. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because it is part of a matter already being considered by a court.

London Borough of Lewisham (19 002 506)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 06-Feb-2020

Summary: I have discontinued my investigation about the Council’s failure to provide Ms X support as a former relevant child. That is because Ms X has started court action about the matter.

North Yorkshire County Council (19 014 897)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 06-Feb-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions regarding the complainant’s involvement with his granddaughter, a looked after child. This is because the injustice is not significant enough to justify our investigation.

London Borough of Camden (19 014 677)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 04-Feb-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision on the placement of a looked after child. This is because there is no evidence of fault in how the Council has reached its decision and so we cannot question its merits.

Birmingham City Council (19 000 728)

Statement Not upheld Looked after children 03-Feb-2020

Summary: Mr X complained the Council refused to investigate historical abuse allegations he made against his former foster parent and did not support him when he transitioned from foster care to university. He said this caused him significant emotional distress and impeded his social and educational development. The Council oversaw a satisfactory investigation by another Council into the allegations and has agreed to review Mr X’s other complaint points. There was no fault in the Council’s actions.

East Sussex County Council (19 014 803)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 03-Feb-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Ms X’s complaint about the way the Council changed a child’s care arrangements. We cannot investigate why her agency is no longer employing her and she does not have consent to complain on behalf of the child or foster carers.

London Borough of Hillingdon (18 010 273)

Statement Upheld Looked after children 28-Jan-2020

Summary: The complainant is concerned about the Council’s actions before and when her grandchildren were in care and about the lack of appropriate support to her and the grandchildren under her Special Guardianship Order. The Ombudsman finds some fault on the first complaint, causing an injustice. The Council has agreed the recommended action. On the second complaint, the Ombudsman considers the Council has provided a fair explanation for its actions. The Ombudsman has therefore completed his investigation and is closing the complaint.

Northumberland County Council (19 002 538)

Statement Upheld Looked after children 28-Jan-2020

Summary: Ms X complains the Council has not provided her with appropriate support as a care leaver. She also complains it has placed unreasonable restrictions on her contact and of poor complaint handling. There was no fault in the support the Council provided to her, or in how it made its decisions to impose contact restrictions and discontinue the investigation into her complaint. There was delay in providing her with an initial complaint response, but the Council has already apologised for this, which is an appropriate remedy. There was also delay in providing her with a copy of her pathway plan, but this did not cause Ms X a significant injustice. The Council should ensure it provides care leavers with a copy of their pathway plan in a timely manner.

Surrey County Council (19 014 488)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 22-Jan-2020

Summary: Mr X complains about how the Council dealt with concerns raised by his parents in the 1980s regarding Mr X’s school. The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. This is because too much time has passed for the Ombudsman to carry out an effective investigation, and it is unlikely we could add anything to the Council’s response.