Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her foster placement. This is because we could not add to the Council’s investigation or achieve a different outcome

The complaint

1. Miss X complains that the social worker told her the placement was going well, yet the Council planned to move the child without involving her. She believes the later explanation that the child was unhappy was not accurate and served only to justify the decision. She says the social worker used this claim to deflect from Miss X’s other complaint about the social worker’s conduct. Miss X wants the Council to admit communication failings, correct records, review the child’s removal, and improve cultural‑awareness training.

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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 could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation and there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
3. When we find fault, we can recommend remedies for significant personal injustice, or to prevent future injustice, caused by that fault. We look at organisational fault, not individual professional competence. Decisions about individual’s fitness to practise or work are for the organisations concerned, and for professional regulators, not the Ombudsman. (Local Government Act 1974, s26(1) and s26A(1) as amended).

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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. Miss X complains about the Council’s actions during the foster placement, including poor communication and weak record keeping. Miss X also complains that the social worker’s religious and cultural bias towards her influenced the decision to remove the child from the family home rather than what was best for the child.
7. The Council has considered these issues under its corporate complaints procedure and has given clear explanations for its decisions. It has also taken further steps in response to Miss X’s concerns, including apologising, offering to meet with her, and inviting her to share more information about her culture to help strengthen the Council’s existing training.
8. I will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we could not add to the Council’s investigation or achieve a worthwhile outcome. This is because there is no independent evidence to confirm the conversations between Miss X and the social worker, or evidence to suggest fault in the Council’s processes when it decided to remove the child from the family home.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because we could not add to the investigation carried out by the Council or achieve a worthwhile outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman