Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council (25 025 892)
Category : Children's care services > Friends and family carers
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 14 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s communication with the complainant. Investigation would achieve nothing significant and is not therefore warranted.
The complaint
- The complainant, Mr X, complains that communication from the Council’s social worker amounted to bullying.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X is a foster carer for a child in the care of the Council. He complains about how the Council’s social worker communicated with his family. Specifically, he says a message the social worker sent was threatening and inaccurate.
- In responding to the complaint, the Council did not accept that its officer was at fault, and said her intention was to be clear. However, it has agreed to change the social worker responsible for working with Mr X’s family.
- The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we would not achieve anything significant by doing so. Whether the social worker’s message was threatening is entirely subjective, and we will not comment. In any case, the Council’s decision to replace the social worker is reasonable in the circumstances, and we would not seek anything further.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because investigation would achieve nothing significant.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman