Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the contents of a social work assessment and the actions of a social worker. There is no worthwhile outcome achievable by us investigating and Social Work England are better placed to consider Mr X’s concerns about the social worker.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained there had been bias and repeated safeguarding failures in his children’s care.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We consider 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 no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation; or
• there is another body better placed to consider this complaint.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

3. The Ombudsman cannot investigate whether social workers are meeting their professional standards of conduct. Complaints of this nature should be referred to the social workers’ professional body, Social Work England.

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X said his children had been the victims of physical abuse. He also said there had been bias and failures in his children’s care.
7. However, Mr X does not appear to have raised concerns about physical abuse during the assessment, or in his stage one and two complaints to the Council.
8. Mr X complained to the Council about the wording of an assessment. He said it contained statements presented as fact that were opinions.
9. I reviewed the original and amended assessments to better understand the complaint and the changes the Council made.
10. The available evidence suggests the Council reviewed the assessment and agreed with Mr X, in part. It made some minor amendments to phrasing but said other information from professional services could not be changed.
11. Mr X raised serious concerns about his children’s social worker and their fitness to practise. As noted above in paragraph 4, we cannot investigate the professional conduct of a social worker.
12. The Council noted they had no concerns about the existing social worker but agreed to allocate a new social worker to work alongside the existing one.
13. Further investigation by the Ombudsman would not lead to a different outcome. The Council appears to have acted on Mr X’s concerns by amending the assessment and allocating a new social worker. Mr X’s concerns about the social worker’s fitness to practise could be raised with Social Work England.

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Final decision

14. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by us investigating and Social Work England are better placed to consider Mr X’s concerns about the social worker.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman