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.

Coventry City Council (25 004 504)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 10-Aug-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about how the Council calculate her special guardianship allowance. This is because we could not add to the investigation carried out by the Council.

Norfolk County Council (25 000 633)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 15-Jul-2025

Summary: We uphold this complaint that the Council did not use the statutory procedure for complaints about children’s services to respond to Mrs X’s complaint. The Council has agreed to resolve the matter by providing a suitable remedy for the injustice caused to Mrs X.

London Borough of Wandsworth (25 001 879)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 13-Jul-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to provide adequate support for children in his care. This is because his complaint is made late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion and consider it now.

Oxfordshire County Council (24 006 775)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 26-Jun-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council wrongly deducted child benefit from her Special Guardianship Allowance. We did not uphold the complaint. The Council is entitled to carry out a means test because Mrs X receives additional income as well as universal credit. There is no blanket policy as the Council has invited her to provide information about her outgoings and financial commitments. This is in line with regulations and so there is no fault.