Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (23 018 871)
Category : Children's care services > Adoption
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 25 Apr 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to stop Mrs X’s adoption allowance. This is because it is late.
The complaint
- Mrs X complains the Council:
- Did not provide full details of her son’s health needs prior to his adoption in 2021; and
- Stopped her adoption allowance in June 2022.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mrs X’s complaint about the Council not providing full information about her son’s health needs is late, and I consider there are no good reasons to investigate now.
- The Council stopped Mrs X’s adoption allowance in June 2022. This is over 12 months ago and so is also late. Mrs X says her back and forth contact with the Council delayed her bringing a complaint to the Ombudsman. However, our published information makes clear a complaint may be brought to us once a council has had 12 weeks to respond. Therefore, there is no good reason to investigate it now.
- In July 2023, a third party requested a review of the Council’s decision to stop Mrs X’s adoption allowance. The Council is now considering this. If Mrs X is unhappy with the outcome of the review she is able to make a new complaint to us if she wishes.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because it is late and there is no good reason to investigate now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman