Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s response to a child safeguarding report. It is unlikely we would find fault which has caused her any significant injustice.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I shall call Ms X, complains about the Council’s children services actions in relation to a safeguarding check made in January 2020.

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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:
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)
3. We investigate complaints of injustice caused by 'maladministration' and 'service failure'. I have used the word 'fault' to refer to these. We cannot question whether a council’s decision is right or wrong simply because the complainant disagrees with it. We must consider whether there was fault in the way the decision was reached. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Ms X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
6. I considered Ms X’s comments on a draft version of this decision.

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My assessment

7. In January 2020, the Council says that following receipt of information, it decided to investigate whether a person, Y, was in contact with Ms X and her children. Y is considered to be a threat to child safeguarding. Ms X says there was no referral from a third party.
8. Ms X says the Council’s actions were unnecessary. She says previous investigations had proven it was unnecessary. She feels the Council should leave her alone to get on with her life. She is unhappy with the way the Council has replied to her complaint. She believes she has not had a full enough response. She says the Council has been harassing and abusing her for three years.
9. The Council’s child protection team has a duty to investigate reports of potential threats to children’s safety. It is unlikely we would find fault in the Council doing so, as it is their professional judgement what investigation steps to undertake. It is unlikely any more minor faults have caused Ms X a significant injustice.
10. We have considered previous complaints from Ms X about investigations for similar reasons. This current complaint cannot cover the same events.
11. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures, if we are unable to deal with the substantive issue.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman