Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the action of the Council’s children’s services regarding his child before summer 2024 because the complaints are late. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a safeguarding referral the Council received in summer 2024 because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained about the Council’s:
1. children's services involvement and response to referrals relating to his child between 2021 and 2024; and
2. failed to consult him as part of a safeguarding referral in summer 2024.
2. Mr X said the matter caused him distress and frustration.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

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)
4. 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 not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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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

Matters before July 2024

7. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s involvement with his child, Y, before July 2024. Mr X complained to the Ombudsman in August 2025. The issues Mr X complained about happened more than 12 months before he complained to the Ombudsman. I have seen no good reasons Mr X could not have complained sooner about these matters, and so we will not investigate.
8. I decided to exercise discretion to consider how the Council responded to the safeguarding referral it received in July 2024 because although Mr X took 13 months to bring the matter to the Ombudsman, the Council’s response referred to a “stage 3” process but also signposted to the Ombudsman.
9. The Council’s complaint process consists only of two stages. Therefore, Mr X may have been uncertain about how to proceed. As a result, I exercised discretion to consider matters from July 2024.

Summer 2024 referral

10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s response to a safeguarding referral it received in July 2024 or how it responded to him in August 2024.
11. In its complaint response, the Council told Mr X the reason it did not contact him regarding the referral it received in July 2024 was because the referral did not relate to a child he has parental responsibility for. There is insufficient evidence of fault in that process, and therefore we will not investigate.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate part of Mr X’s complaint because it is late. We will not investigate the remainder because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman