Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council failing to carry out an assessment and attempting to force Ms X to negotiate financial support. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains about the procedural unfairness. She says the Council failed to carry out an assessment and has attempted to force her to negotiate financial support. Ms X says this has caused severe physical and financial strain.
2. Ms X wants:
• an independent social worker to carry out an assessment;
• funding for some domestic support, backdated to the start of the kinship arrangement;
• an apology; and
• recognition of her status as a kinship carer.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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), section 34(B))

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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. In October 2025, Ms X asked the Council to fund weekly cleaning. The Council explained it would need to assess her needs before deciding whether to provide support. Ms X declined an assessment.
7. In March 2026, Ms X asked the Council to carry out further assessments of her needs and those of her sons. She also requested a kinship assessment concerning the care she provides for her grandchildren. Ms X asked for the assessments to be completed by a social worker from outside the Council’s area because, given her previous grievances with the Council, she did not consider it could assess her fairly.
8. The Council considered Ms X’s request. It offered to allocate the assessments to a social work team in another district, but Ms X declined this option.
9. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to justify an investigation. The Council considered Ms X’s request for an assessor from outside its area and offered the reasonable alternative of using a team from another district. It is for Ms X to decide whether to engage with the assessment process.
10. The Council said it did not consider the childcare arrangement to be kinship care and regarded it as an informal family support arrangement. It advised Ms X that any financial support for caring for the children was a matter for her to discuss with their mother, who received the relevant benefits on their behalf. Ms X declined the Council’s offer of a kinship assessment. Therefore, there is not enough evidence to conclude the Council should have treated the arrangement as kinship care. The Council was entitled to give Ms X this advice, and there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Ms 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