Northumberland County Council (21 004 295)

Statement Upheld Looked after children 28-Feb-2022

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to carry out a sufficiently independent and robust investigation into his children’s statutory complaint. The Council was at fault for failing to investigate Mr X’s concerns about some of the care homes he lived in. This caused avoidable Mr X distress. The Council has agreed to apologise.

Reading Borough Council (20 007 819)

Statement Upheld Looked after children 25-Feb-2022

Summary: Mrs Y’s son, Z, is a Looked after Child and accommodated by the Council under a care order. Mrs Y complains the Council has failed to keep her informed about her son, Z’s progress at school, provide a clear contact schedule and explain what happened to some of Z’s belongings that had gone missing. We find the Council at fault and it delayed in sending a complaint response. We find this caused Mrs Y distress and uncertainty. To remedy this, the Council has agreed to apologise in writing to Mrs Y, make her a payment and make several service improvements.

Birmingham City Council (21 015 057)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 22-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about children services actions as the Courts are considering the events which led to the complaint.

Hampshire County Council (21 016 000)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 21-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of a social worker relating to Mr X’s intention to take a child overseas more than 15 years ago. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. The Council sought a care order, so the involvement of a court means we cannot investigate. Even if that were not so, the complaint is late and there would be no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

London Borough of Brent (21 015 676)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 15-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this late complaint about Miss X’s care when she was a looked-after child. She could have complained sooner and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate her complaint now.

London Borough of Hounslow (21 003 804)

Statement Upheld Looked after children 11-Feb-2022

Summary: Mr X complained about how the Council supported him while leaving the Council’s care. The Council failed to arrange a personal adviser for Mr X when it should have done and unnecessarily delayed investigating Mr X’s complaint. This caused Mr X avoidable uncertainty, frustration, time and trouble for which the Council agree to apologise and pay him a financial remedy. It also agreed to review the training and guidance it provides to its social workers.

Surrey County Council (21 013 258)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 11-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council delaying in sending her minutes of a meeting. There is insignificant injustice caused to her.

London Borough of Hounslow (21 000 644)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 08-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s children’s services involvement with the complainants family. This is because we cannot add to the investigation already carried out by the Council and we cannot achieve the outcome the complainant seeks.

Royal Borough of Greenwich (21 014 896)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 08-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the level of Special Guardianship allowance provided by the Council. This is because the events happened too long ago, and I see no reason why the complaint could not have been made sooner.

Liverpool City Council (21 012 100)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Looked after children 07-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council not providing financial assistance to her granddaughter while at university. There is not enough evidence of fault to warrant investigation.