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.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains that when her granddaughter came to live with her, the Council treated it as a private arrangement, meaning she missed out on support.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, 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. I will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because it is made late. The Council issued a final response in October 2023, and I see no good reason why she could not have approached the Ombudsman sooner.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because it is made late.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman