Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about adult safeguarding. There is not enough evidence of fault in how the Council ended its safeguarding involvement.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained that the Council did not complete a safeguarding investigation.
2. Miss X said that it has impacted her health.
3. Miss X wants the Council to complete a safeguarding assessment.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

4. 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

5. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. The Council has a duty to make safeguarding enquiries if it considers an adult is at risk of abuse or neglect.
8. Miss X made a safeguarding self-referral to the Council. She said the actions of her housing provider compromised her welfare and safety. A Social Worker from the Council contacted Miss X as part of its enquiry in response to the safeguarding referral.
9. As part of its enquiry, the Council contacted Miss X’s housing provider and asked it to undertake repairs. The housing provider confirmed that it would do so. The Council also signposted Miss X to information on housing needs and community alarm systems. The Council concluded Miss X could competently advocate for herself and closed her enquiry.
10. We are not an appeal body. This means we do not take a second look at a decision to decide if it was wrong. Instead, we look at the processes an organisation followed to make its decision. If we consider it followed those processes correctly, we cannot question whether the decision was right or wrong.
11. We will not investigate this complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating in how the Council reached its decision to close Miss X’s safeguarding enquiry.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about adult safeguarding. There is not enough evidence of fault in how the Council ended its safeguarding involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman