Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of safeguarding concerns in connection with domestic abuse. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains about the Council’s handling of safeguarding concerns raised in 2022/2023 about domestic abuse suffered by her.
2. Miss X says the Council failed to take appropriate safeguarding action, which left her in a dangerous situation and contributed to her subsequent assault.
3. Miss X also raises concerns about complaint handling, including inconsistent information and issues with record-keeping.

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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 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. Miss X complains about the Council’s handling of safeguarding concerns in 2022, 2023 and its decision not to progress to further action, alongside later complaint handling issues. The complainant says the Council’s failures contributed to subsequent harm.

8. The Council has investigated Miss X’s complaint. In summary it says it completed a safeguarding process in 2022 (triage, assessment, a face-to-face visit, risk discussion, and offered interventions). The enquiry was closed with the complainant’s agreement following a review of her wishes.
9. We will not investigate as we are unlikely to find enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. An investigation by the Ombudsman would not be able to establish if different safeguarding investigation outcomes would have prevented the subsequent harm to Miss X.
10. Finally, the complaint handling issues do not justify investigation alone. Where we are not investigating the core issue in a complaint, we would not investigate any side issues such as the complaint handling. This is because it would not be proportionate to do so.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman