Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the conduct of social workers during a home visit. There is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our involvement and his concerns are better placed with Social Work England.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained about the conduct of social workers, on the telephone and during a home visit. Mr X said they tried to force entry into his home and were intimidating and aggressive.
2. Mr X said this led him to feel unsafe in his home and wanted the Council to discipline the social workers.

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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 another body better placed to consider this complaint, or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(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. In April 2025, the Council tried to carry out a home visit. This was following receipt of a safeguarding referral about a member of Mr X’s family.
7. Mr X said although he told the social workers over the phone not to visit his home, they arrived shortly after and were aggressive and rude towards him.
8. In its complaint response, the Council said it decided a visit was necessary due to the nature of the referral it received. However, it acknowledged the timing of the visit may not have been appropriate and said its intentions were not to intimidate. It said the service had taken learning from this.
9. Given the Council has already reflected and taken learning from the complaint, we would be unlikely to achieve any other worthwhile outcome. The Ombudsman cannot tell the Council to discipline staff.
10. Also, given the nature of Mr X’s concerns, they are better placed with Social Work England (SWE).
11. SWE is the regulator of social workers and has powers to investigate whether a social workers fitness to practice is impaired and restrict their ability to practice if necessary. Mr X’s concerns are therefore better placed with SWE.
12. For these reasons, we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

13. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable and it is better placed with Social Work England.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman