Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about post adoption direct and letterbox contact. This is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council failed to comply with a Family Court Order from March 2024 for Mr X to have annual contact with his child who had been adopted. Mr X said the lack of contact with his child has had a negative impact on his physical and mental health. He wanted the Council to provide appropriate compensation for the delay in contact with his child, a formal apology and set out how it will prevent a similar matter recurring.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X’s child Y lives with their adoptive family. The adoption was finalised in December 2024 with an agreement that Mr X would have direct annual contact and letterbox annual contact.
6. Mr X contacted the Council in March 2025 to ask about post-adoption contact with Y.
7. In its complaint response, the Council apologised it had not signposted Mr Y to the adoption agency that managed post-adoption contact in March 2025. It noted Mr X had received letterbox contact in September 2025, and direct contact had been scheduled for November 2025.
8. The Council said there had been an initial delay in establishing Mr X’s post-adoption contact because a ‘contact agreement’ form had not been completed. It said it had now agreed with the adoption agency that birth parents would no longer be requested to complete this form.
9. In its complaint response, the Council offered Mr X a £200 financial remedy for causing unnecessary distress.
10. We will not investigate this complaint because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. The Council have apologised to Mr X for post-adoption communication failings and offered a suitable financial remedy in the form of a symbolic payment to remedy his injustice. The Council has also confirmed that Mr X’s post-adoption contact is now in place, and changed processes to improve post-adoption contact arrangements.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman