Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council (20 008 443)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 25-Jan-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about a children services assessment. It is unlikely we could achieve a significantly different outcome.

Surrey County Council (20 008 555)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 25-Jan-2021

Summary: We cannot investigate Mrs B’s complaint that the Council was at fault in removing her children from her care and placing them for adoption. This is because the complaint concerns decisions made by the Court.

Sunderland City Council (20 009 172)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 22-Jan-2021

Summary: We cannot investigate Miss B’s complaint that the Council was at fault in removing her children from her care. This is because the complaint concerns decisions made by the court.

London Borough of Lambeth (20 007 445)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 22-Jan-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s reply to her complaint. The events she complains about are over seven years old and there are no good reasons the late complaint rule should not apply.

Cheshire East Council (20 007 458)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 19-Jan-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the child protection actions of social workers. Most of these are not separable from matters of contact and residence decided by a court. Investigation of the rest is not warranted by the alleged fault, and it is unlikely to lead to the outcome Ms X wants.

Reading Borough Council (20 006 726)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 15-Jan-2021

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the actions of the Council in relation to its involvement with the complainant’s family. This is because the issues complained of relate to court proceedings and are therefore out of our jurisdiction.

Middlesbrough Borough Council (20 003 452)

Statement Upheld Child protection 14-Jan-2021

Summary: The Council is at fault for failing to deal with Mrs X’s complaint through the statutory children’s complaints process. The Council should apologise to Mrs X and arrange for her complaint to be considered.

Hertfordshire County Council (20 008 358)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 13-Jan-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Ms C’s complaint that the Council has been at fault in failing to promote contact between her and her daughter. This is because it is unlikely we would identify fault on the Council’s part, and because investigation would not achieve anything significant for Ms C.

West Sussex County Council (19 010 990)

Statement Upheld Child protection 08-Jan-2021

Summary: Mrs C says the Council failed to communicate with her or provide her with support when it placed some of her grandchildren in her care and failed to share with her daughter the information the Council held about the risk posed by her partner. The Council failed to properly consider and discuss with Mrs C support she might need when the children first moved into her care and during a transition period for one of the children. The Council discussed its concerns about the partner with Mrs C’s daughter. Failure to provide Mrs C with enough support meant she had to manage the children on her own at a distressing point in their lives, caused her avoidable distress and led to her going to time and trouble to pursue her complaint. An apology and payment to Mrs C, alongside training for social workers is satisfactory remedy.

London Borough of Croydon (20 007 980)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Child protection 08-Jan-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint that the Council failed to involve him in its decision-making concerning his daughter and produced an inaccurate assessment. This is because we cannot achieve the outcome he is seeking.