Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a child protection conference decision. It is a multiagency organisation which we will not investigate, and he has already had a review conference and another is arranged. Our investigation is unlikely to achieve more.

The complaint

1. Mr X says the Council should not have refused his request for an appeal of a Children Protection Conference (CPC) recommendation the Council should have a child protection plan (CPP).

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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 there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (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’s reply to him.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X says the Council held a CPC for his family in February 2025. He says he challenged this CPC and the Council held a new CPC in April. He says it then held a review CPC in August and another one is set for October.
6. Mr X challenged on multiple grounds, the April 2025 CPC decision to recommend a CPP. The Children’s Safeguarding Review Services considered this and in May told Mr X it would not uphold his appeal. Mr X disagrees. He says his appeal meets the policy and procedure and the appeal decision does not.
7. A CPC decision is not one we can investigate. These decisions are made by multiagency organisations and not the Council. The CPC recommends to the Council that it should have a CPP. The Council then has to decide whether to accept that recommendation. We can consider that decision however here we will not. If we were to decide the Council’s decision had been made with fault, the likely recommendation we would make would be to hold a review CPC. Mr X has already had one review CPC since the decision he disputes and another is arranged. Our investigation is unlikely to achieve more than this.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman