Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision that he is not eligible for adult social care and support. There is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council has refused to provide him with Adult Social Care support or allocate him a social worker. He says this has caused distress and he is not receiving the support he needs. He wants the Council to apologise, acknowledge it has been incompetent, provide him with support and allocate him an experienced social worker.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

3. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. The Council completed an adult social care needs assessment with Mr X in August 2025. It concluded that Mr X did not have eligible adult social care needs, but that he would benefit from some support with administrative tasks and to improve his confidence engaging with services. With Mr X’s agreement, it referred him to a partner organisation for six months support.
7. Mr X was unhappy with this and asked the Council to review its decision. He asked the Council to allocate him a social worker and to support him directly. The Council told Mr X that as its assessment concluded he did not have eligible care and support needs, it would not allocate him a social worker. It said it understood he had been accepted for six months support from the partner organisation.
8. We will not investigate this complaint. I have reviewed the Council’s needs assessment which includes Mr X’s views and appropriately assesses his care and support needs. It concluded that Mr X did not have eligible needs for adult social care support. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the assessment or how the Council reached its decision to warrant an investigation.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman