Somerset County Council (20 008 521)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 04-Dec-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the actions of social workers as these matters are not separable from the decision of a court about the residence of her grandchildren.

Buckinghamshire Council (20 006 752)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 03-Dec-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the way in which the Council carried out a Serious Case Review. This is because we cannot achieve anything more than the previous investigation by the Council.

Coventry City Council (20 007 267)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 01-Dec-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the content of a report produced by the Council. This is because Mr X can raise his concerns about the accuracy of the report in court.

Norfolk County Council (20 006 618)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 30-Nov-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman should not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s response to a child safeguarding matter from 2006. Mr X was an adult witness, and he could have approached us sooner.

Dorset Council (20 007 210)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 28-Nov-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint that a social worker gave evidence to a court which is biased and incomplete. The Ombudsman cannot investigate what happens in court including the content of a court report.

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (20 001 726)

Statement Upheld Other 27-Nov-2020

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s failure to provide adequate social work support to his son. The Ombudsman has found the Council to be at fault because it did not properly investigate this complaint under the statutory children’s services complaints procedure. This has caused Mr X some uncertainty about whether the outcome may have been different. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, make a time and trouble payment to Mr X and consider the complaint under the correct procedure without delay. It should also review its complaint handling processes.

North Yorkshire County Council (20 006 457)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 27-Nov-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not and cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s children services actions. There are no good reasons the late complaint rule should not apply to older events. And we cannot investigate issues which has been decided by a Court.

Surrey County Council (20 006 612)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 27-Nov-2020

Summary: We do not have the power to investigate this complaint about the Council’s response to concerns about Mr Y’s child’s care. This is because it involves matters already considered by a court and due to be further considered by the court.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (20 007 122)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 26-Nov-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council took his children into care and gave a court false information about the family history. The complaint is outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction because a court decided what should happen to the children.

Cambridgeshire County Council (20 006 815)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 24-Nov-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs B’s complaint that the Council has lied in order to obtain Interim Care Orders for her children. This is because the complaint concerns matters which have been considered and decided in court.