Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to act on safeguarding concerns about Miss X’s late grandmother. The Council has already acknowledged it missed opportunities to escalate those concerns and committed to improving its safeguarding strategies. Further investigation is unlikely to achieve anything more.

The complaint

1. Miss X says the Council failed to safeguard her late grandmother when she was alive. Miss X says the family repeatedly alerted the Council to safeguarding concerns, as they believed Miss X’s grandmother was being exploited. Miss X alleges that items and money went missing and that her grandmother was the victim of coercion and financial abuse. Miss X says that the Council wrongly dismissed the family’s concerns.

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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 effect 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 an investigation if we decide the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)
3. We do not start an investigation if we decide we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation. (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 and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Miss X reported poor communication and a lack of follow-up on safeguarding concerns raised between June and October 2024. The Council said some contact took place but recognised gaps.
7. The Council said it investigated two safeguarding complaints about relationships and financial management. As part of its investigation, the Council spoke with Miss X’s grandmother who was consistent each time that she did not want Social Care involved or the safeguarding enquiry to be progressed. Because of this the Council closed its enquiries.
8. Further concerns about missing items and money were then raised. The Council accepted it should have raised a new safeguarding concern and considered a multi-agency strategy meeting.
9. The Council partially upheld the complaint, acknowledging missed opportunities to escalate safeguarding concerns. It committed to improving its processes by treating each safeguarding allegation separately and considering strategy discussions to better respond to concerns.
10. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Councils failure to act on safeguarding concerns as it is unlikely we could add to the response the Council has already provided.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Councils failure to act on safeguarding concerns as it is unlikely we could add to the response the Council has already provided.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman