Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s safeguarding actions in response to reports of child harm. The council has already examined Mr X’s complaint under the children’s statutory complaints procedure, and further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, so it is not warranted.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about a lack of intervention from the Council after he raised safeguarding concerns about abuse from his wife to his children. Mr X also complains the Council cancelled and delayed meetings, and falsified reports against him. Mr X wants the Council to apologise for its conduct, and to amend its reports.

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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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (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.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. A multi-agency safeguarding hub reviewed the concerns raised by Mr X. The Council was satisfied the concerns were not substantiated, so took no further action. The family continued to be under safeguarding measures due to other concerns. As part of these measures, the family had scheduled meetings with the Council. Some of these meetings were delayed or cancelled at short notice.
6. Mr X complained to the Council. The Council considered his complaint through all three stages of the statutory children’s complaints procedure. The investigation upheld parts of Mr X’s complaint about meetings and recommended an apology. The investigation did not uphold his complaints about a lack of safeguarding actions, or falsified reports for the courts.
7. If a complaint has already been through the three-stage statutory children’s complaints procedure, this means the complainant has already had access to an independent investigation. It is not our role to reinvestigate, unless there were flaws in the earlier investigation which affected the result. I have looked at the investigation papers, but I have not seen evidence of flaws in the investigation and findings. I am satisfied the Council has properly considered Mr X’s complaint so further investigation by us would be unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because further investigation of the Council’s safeguarding decisions would not lead to a different outcome, so it is not warranted.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman