Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the decision to make the complainant’s child subject to a Child Protection Plan. This is because the Ombudsman’s intervention would not lead to the outcome the complainant wants.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Miss X, complains that the Council unreasonably made her child subject to a Child Protection Plan (CPP), and has failed to respond appropriately to her subsequent complaint.

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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 cannot achieve the outcome someone wants. (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 the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Miss X’s son is the subject of a CPP. Miss X says she agreed to the Council’s involvement in order to get support for her child as a Child in Need. She says that, within three weeks, the Initial Child Protection Conference made the CPP.
6. Miss X says it was not appropriate to make her child subject to a CPP. She says it has caused detriment to his mental health. She wants the matter to be reviewed with a different Child Protection Conference Chair and for the CPP to be ended. She further complains that the Council has failed to respond appropriately to her complaint about the CPP.
7. The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s complaint. This is because we would not achieve the outcome she is seeking. The decision to make a CPP is made by the Child Protection Conference, which is a multi-agency body. It is not for the Ombudsman to criticise the decision of the Child Protection Conference, or to substitute an alternative view. CPPs are periodically reconsidered at review meetings, where Miss X has the opportunity to make her case for it to be ended. That is not something the Ombudsman’s intervention would achieve.
8. Where a substantive matter does not fall to be investigated, we will not normally investigate how a council has responded to a complaint about it. It is not a good use of our resources to do so. That is the case here.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because our intervention would not lead to the outcome she wants.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman