Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council followed its safeguarding procedures when it received safeguarding reports about a vulnerable adult, Mr D. Mr and Mrs B who are Mr D’s parents complain about concerns they had from 2017 for a seven-year period. The complaint is late. We could not add to any previous investigation by the Council.

The complaint

1. Mr and Mrs B complain the Council failed to safeguard their adult son, Mr D, from 2017 for seven years when he was living in a home funded by a health authority. The complainants say the Council and the funding authority did nothing to deal with the private care provider or the alleged perpetrators. Mr and Mrs B say as a result their son sustained physical injuries, and they all experienced distress and anxiety. They want action to be taken against the Council and others involved.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
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:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. Mr and Mrs B’s adult son lived in a group home in the community which was funded by a health authority. They said the Council, the health authority and the provider which ran the home failed to safeguard their son from 2017 for seven years. The home closed in January 2025, and the health authority moved Mr D to a new placement. We will not investigate this complaint because it is late.
7. When responding to Mr and Mrs B’s complaint the Council explained it could not have moved Mr D because it was not responsible for funding his care. It told
   Mr and Mrs B to complain to the health authority that funded Mr D’s care. When completing its safeguarding enquiry, the Council said the alleged perpetrator was placed in the home by a different authority and it had to wait for this authority to move the alleged perpetrator to a different placement. It is unlikely we could add to the previous investigation completed by the Council.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr and Mrs B’s complaint because it is late. We could not add to any previous investigation completed by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman