Leeds City Council (25 024 383)
Category : Children's care services > Child protection
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 09 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about a child protection matter because he has begun legal action against the Council.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about his dealings with the Council in connection with a child protection matter. He says the Council’s actions have caused him considerable distress. He wants the Council to reconsider his case and pay compensation.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We cannot investigate complaints when someone has sought a remedy by way of proceedings in any court of law.
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- I have carefully considered everything Mr X said, although I have not included every detail here. I have included as few details as possible in my decision statement to protect the anonymity of Mr X and his child.
- The Council has concerns for the welfare of Mr X’s child. It began a child protection investigation. It asked Mr X for information. Mr X does not believe he should have to provide the information the Council asked for. He says the matter has caused him significant distress and impacted on his health. He complained to the Council and asked for a large sum of money in compensation.
- The Council responded to Mr X’s complaint and explained the legal basis of its request for the information. The Council declined to pay compensation as it said it had not done anything wrong. Unhappy with the response, Mr X complained to us. He also lodged a civil claim for damages against the Council.
- We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is essentially the same as his claim for damages. The law says we cannot investigate a complaint when someone has used an alternative legal remedy.
Final decision
- We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint because he has taken legal action against the Council in respect of the same matter.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman