Warrington Council (19 019 626)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 24-Mar-2021

Summary: Mr B complains about the Council's handling of matters relating to the care of his two grandsons and his related complaints. The Council has already apologised, made a payment to Mr B and taken steps to address the issues highlighted by the independent complaint investigation, which is an appropriate response to the injustice caused. We make no further recommendation to remedy the faults identified.

Northumberland County Council (20 002 100)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 24-Mar-2021

Summary: Mr B complained the Council failed to consider his representations about not being able to work when asking him to sign an agreement to supervise his daughter with her children, threatened his daughter she could lose her children when she was pregnant, provided conflicting advice, delayed considering his complaint and failed to tell him what action the Council had taken to improve its processes following his complaint. The Council delayed considering Mr B's complaint. There is no fault in the remainder of the complaint. An apology and payment to reflect Mr B's time and trouble in pursuing the complaint is satisfactory remedy.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (19 016 642)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 10-Mar-2021

Summary: Ms X complains that the Council failed to fulfil its promise of financial support after she obtained a Special Guardianship Order. She also complains that the Council refused to allow her to change her social worker. There is no fault by the Council.

Essex County Council (20 002 897)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 17-Feb-2021

Summary: Ms X complained the Council failed to complete a Parent Carers Needs Assessment after she asked it for support with her son, Y. We found the Council was at fault. That has caused Ms X avoidable frustration. The Council has agreed to assess Ms X and Y and apologise for not completing the assessment when she initially asked for support. It will also pay her £150 to remedy any injustice caused.

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (20 002 218)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 13-Jan-2021

Summary: Whilst the Council was at fault for having a policy in place which was not in line with guidance, there is insufficient evidence to show that this caused Mr C an injustice. This is because, on balance, it is unlikely Mr C would have completed the necessary courses to have been eligible for carer skills payments.

Herefordshire Council (20 000 734)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 08-Jan-2021

Summary: Mrs X complains about the Council's handling of a child's placement into her care. She says the Council failed to correctly assess the needs of the child and did not put the child's needs first. Mrs X says the Council did not adequately address the impact of its actions on her, her family and the child. She says the Council's actions caused avoidable distress and financial loss to her. We have found fault by the Council in this matter and the Council has agreed a remedy to address the injustice caused.

Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (19 010 155)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 23-Dec-2020

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council did not provide her with sufficient advice to make an informed choice about her options when she became a carer for her grandchild, Z. She said the Council then pressurised her into becoming a special guardian and had not provided enough financial support. The Council was not at fault.

Redcar & Cleveland Council (19 018 436)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 11-Dec-2020

Summary: Ms X complained the Council stopped her Special Guardianship Allowance in 2016 although she was experiencing financial hardship at the time. During our investigation, the Council admitted it acted with fault. It has awarded Ms X £22,300 in back payments. This is satisfactory to remedy the injustice the Council caused her. The Council has also agreed to carry out an audit of special guardians to ensure others have not been affected by the same fault.

Devon County Council (20 003 495)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 03-Dec-2020

Summary: Ms X complains the Council has refused to pay her legal fees despite agreeing to do so. There is no evidence the Council advised Ms X to obtain legal advice or agreed to fund the cost of this advice. The Council's refusal to pay Ms X's legal fees does not therefore amount to fault.

Durham County Council (19 020 852)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 02-Dec-2020

Summary: The Council was not at fault for its decision to end Mrs B's special guardianship support. It properly applied its policy and statutory guidance, and considered detailed information about her finances, so we cannot question its decision.