Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s children’s services involvement with him when he was a child between the 1970s and 1990s. The complaint is late, and there are no good reasons to exercise our discretion to investigate now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained about the involvement of the Council’s children’s services with him when he was a child between the 1970s and 1990s.
2. Mr X said the matter caused him distress and affected his mental health.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. 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

5. I considered information provided by the complainant.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. Mr X complained about matters which happened more than three decades ago. The law says the Ombudsman cannot investigate matters which are more than 12 months old unless we decide there are good reasons. I have seen no good reasons Mr X could not have complained about these matters sooner. Consequently, we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman