Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council failing to carry out a care and support needs assessment for his adult daughter, Ms Y and it failing to investigate safeguarding concerns. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council failed to carry out a care and support needs assessment for his adult daughter, Ms Y. He also said the Council failed to investigate safeguarding concerns. Mr X said as a result, his daughter left the country as she had no support. It caused him and the family distress. He wants the Council to recognise it was at fault, to provide an apology and a financial remedy for the injustice caused. He also wants the Council to make service improvements to prevent similar recurrences of fault.

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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))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X’s daughter, Ms Y, has a health condition which affects her brain and spinal cord. Ms Y was abroad and in mid-August 2025, she returned to the United Kingdom.
6. Mr X said a few days before his daughter’s arrival, he submitted a request to the Council for it to complete a care and support needs assessment for his daughter. He also made a safeguarding referral to the Council as he had concerns his daughter was at risk of harm and self-neglect. Mr X said the Council did not complete a care and support needs assessment and initiate a safeguarding investigation and so Ms Y left the country in mid-September 2025. Mr X said the Council visited his home in early October 2025 to see his daughter.
7. In response to Mr X’s complaint, the Council said:
• it had received Ms Y’s case in early September 2025. Its records showed the Council contacted Ms Y to arrange a home visit however it was unsuccessful in doing so. It therefore visited Ms Y’s home early October 2025. The Council said at no point did Ms Y’s family inform the Council Ms Y had left the country;
• it decided not to initiate a safeguarding investigation as the information Mr X had given to the Council did not indicate Ms Y was at an immediate risk of harm or neglect; and
• it acknowledged it had not been able to complete a care and support needs assessment for Ms Y. The Council said if Mr X and the family had contacted the Council earlier before Ms Y’s arrival, it may have been able to offer advice and guidance to prepare support.
8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
9. The Council received Ms Y’s case in early September 2025. Ms Y had left the country a few weeks later. We recognise Mr X said his daughter left as she had no support however, we cannot be critical of the Council as we would not expect the Council to arrange a care and support needs assessment in such a short time frame. It is also unlikely it could have arranged care and support for Ms Y within that time frame. Under the Care Act 2014, there is no fixed statutory timeframe for a council to respond to or complete a care and support needs assessment.
10. Furthermore, the Council made reasonable efforts to arrange a home visit to see Ms Y however, it was unable to speak with her.
11. The Council considered Mr X’s safeguarding referral and based on the information it had, it decided not to investigate it further. Under the Care Act 2014, councils can decide not to carry out a formal safeguarding investigation if it reasonably believes a person is not at risk of abuse, harm or neglect.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman