Liverpool City Council (25 008 538)
Category : Children's care services > Child protection
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 12 Nov 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled a safeguarding matter. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons for us to exercise discretion to consider it now.
The complaint
- Mr X complained the Council did not properly handle a safeguarding matter he raised about his child (Y).
- Mr X said he the Council ignored his concerns which led to ongoing concern for his children’s welfare.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- 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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained the Council did not properly handle a safeguarding matter he raised with the Council. Mr X said he told the Council about an incident involving Y in 2022, but the Council ignored him and did not take appropriate action.
- When Mr X then complained about this to the Council in 2024, it said it could not investigate due to the complaint being late and said a specific Council officer who Mr X complained about is no longer employed by the Council.
- As outlined in paragraph four, we cannot investigate late complaints where somebody has been aware of something for more than 12 months.
- We do not exercise discretion to accept a late complaint unless there are good reasons to do so. I have considered all available information to decide whether we should exercise our discretion to investigate this complaint.
- I do not consider there are any good reasons Mr X could not have brought this complaint to us sooner and therefore we will not investigate.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the complaint is late and there are no good reasons for us to exercise discretion to consider it now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman