London Borough of Croydon (20 011 668)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 31-Mar-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council should not have deregistered him as a foster carer or remove a child from his care. It is unlikely we would find the Council’s fault caused the injustice Mr X claims.

Bristol City Council (19 016 894)

Statement Not upheld Fostering 17-Mar-2021

Summary: Ms X complained that she was bullied and intimidated by her social worker and decisions the Council made about foster care arrangements were wrong. We did not find there was fault in the way the Council reached the decisions she complains about.

Birmingham City Council (20 011 804)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 15-Mar-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs B’s complaint that the Council is at fault in refusing to allow her to have contact with a looked-after child. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault on the Council’s part.

Birmingham City Council (19 019 194)

Statement Upheld Fostering 26-Feb-2021

Summary: Mrs B complained the Council failed to ensure her information, and that of her foster children, was kept confidential. It shared her address with the birth mother who was not allowed contact with the children. This has caused significant distress to the family whose human rights have been affected. The Council has agreed to make a payment for the family to move house and to change its procedures to ensure such data breaches are prevented in the future. It has also agreed to disseminate the learning from this complaint.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (20 005 182)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 23-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the communication between the complainants and the Council in their role as foster carers and the removal of a child from their care. The Council has apologised and committed to learning from the communication issues and there is not enough evidence of fault in the way it made the decision to remove the child, so an investigation is not warranted.

Staffordshire County Council (20 010 156)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 23-Feb-2021

Summary: We will not investigate Ms B’s complaint that the Council is at fault in failing to take action in response to her complaint about a foster carer. This is because it is unlikely we could add to the investigation the Council has carried out.

Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (20 005 985)

Statement Not upheld Fostering 01-Feb-2021

Summary: The Council was not at fault for its consideration of whether to extend Ms B’s transitional special guardianship support payments. Ms B did not provide information to justify an extension of the payments. We cannot look at Ms B’s complaint that she did not agree her support plan before becoming a special guardian, because the Special Guardianship Order says she did, and we cannot question a court order.

Bedford Borough Council (19 013 830)

Statement Upheld Fostering 05-Jan-2021

Summary: There is fault by the Council in that it failed to carry out a risk assessment before placing two children, in its care, with the complainant and her partner. This caused avoidable difficulties in the placement. The Ombudsman does not find fault in other aspects of the complaint. The Ombudsman has recommended actions to remedy the complainant’s injustice which the Council has accepted. Therefore, the Ombudsman is closing the complaint.

London Borough of Camden (19 011 274)

Statement Upheld Fostering 11-Dec-2020

Summary: Ms X complains the Council failed to provide the correct financial support to her as a foster carer. We have found no evidence of fault in the way the Council paid Ms X a foster carers allowance. But there was fault in its failure to provide clarity over Ms X’s status as a specialist foster carer during the complaint procedure. We have suggested a suitable remedy and so are completing our investigation.

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (20 006 864)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 09-Dec-2020

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint that the Council fabricated a document leading to a foster child being removed from the complainant’s care. This is because the matter has been considered in court. In addition, an independent panel confirmed the Council’s decision to de-register the complainant as a foster carer.