Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council's 2024 decision not to consider or assess her as a potential adopter for a child she was fostering. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to consider it now.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains about the Council’s 2024 decision not to consider, or assess her, as a potential adopter for a child she was fostering.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
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.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mrs X complained to the Council about its decision, in late 2024, not to consider or assess her as a potential adopter for a child she was fostering.
7. The Council told Mrs X it would not consider her complaint via its complaints procedure because it was about events that were more than 12 months old.
8. We will not investigate this complaint. It lies outside our jurisdiction because it is late. The law says a complaint should be made to us within 12 months of the person first becoming aware of the matter. There are no good grounds to exercise discretion to consider this late complaint now.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to consider it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman