Suffolk County Council (24 018 382)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 25-Nov-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained about the way the Council dealt with payments for the care of her granddaughter, Y. The Council was at fault for failing to recognise its duty to accommodate Y and make payments to Mr and Mrs X. This caused Mr and Mrs X distress and frustration. The Council has agreed to apologise, backdate payments, make a payment to recognise the injustice caused and make service improvements.

Kingston Upon Hull City Council (25 008 615)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 17-Nov-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of temporarily placing a child into Ms X’s care. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons for us to exercise discretion to consider it now.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (25 008 605)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 14-Nov-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a children’s services decision to require him to attend a face-to-face identify check and its handling of his complaint. There is not enough evidence of fault and it is unlikely we could add to the investigation already completed by the Council or achieve a different outcome.

Warwickshire County Council (24 015 433)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 15-Oct-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about how the Council dealt with her complaint under the statutory children’s complaints procedure. This is because it is made late.

Oxfordshire County Council (25 000 888)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 18-Sep-2025

Summary: The Council was not at fault for how it decided Mr X’s special guardianship allowance. Its approach to deciding allowances appears in line with its statutory responsibilities.

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council (25 004 122)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 17-Sep-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about children services approach to her offer to care for a child. We cannot investigate her suitability or the Council’s consideration of this as the Courts are now deciding whether she should be the child’s carer. Social Work England is better placed to consider a social worker’s professionalism and the Council needs an opportunity to reply to her complaint about safeguarding referrals.

Dorset Council (25 002 268)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 12-Sep-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council failed to provide a financial allowance to the complainant for the care of a child. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons for us to investigate it now.

West Sussex County Council (25 004 450)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 09-Sep-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about financial support for a Special Guardian. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to decide to investigate now. Nor will we investigate the Council’s refusal to consider a complaint about this matter, because it is unlikely we would find fault in its decision to refuse.

Coventry City Council (25 002 472)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 19-Aug-2025

Summary: We cannot investigate Ms M and Mr F’s complaint about the Council’s involvement in arrangements for B to live with them in 2018 because it is too late. We will not investigate their complaint about the financial support they receive from the Council to care for B because there is not sufficient evidence of fault to justify investigating.

Southend-on-Sea City Council (24 019 184)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 17-Aug-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the Council did not pay him the correct amount for caring for a child in his care and did not consult him before presenting a support plan to the Court. I have ended the investigation. This is because Mr X is satisfied with the outcome of the first part of his complaint. The second part of his complaint is outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction because we cannot investigate complaints about what happened in court.