Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an officer’s response to Miss X when she sought safeguarding assistance in 2024. This is because the complaint is late and there are no good reasons to investigate.

The complaint

1. In short, Miss X alleges failure by an officer to provide appropriate safeguarding support during Miss X during a domestic abuse incident in 2024. Miss X says the officer failed to carry out a risk assessment and was told to return to a refuge instead.
2. Miss X reports suffering harm, distress and fear.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant which includes the Council’s recent response to her complaint.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. The Council has declined to investigate. It says the officer’s response was in the context of answering an emergency duty line. It says due to the passage of time it would be difficult to establish the relevant facts due to limited records and relying on faded memories.
7. We will not investigate. The law says we should not normally investigate complaints made more than 12 months after someone becomes aware of the issue. In this case, Ms X was aware of the concerns, at the time of the events in 2024, that she is raising now. I consider she could have contacted us in time and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to consider her late complaint.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to investigate.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman