London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (19 016 108)

Category : Children's care services > Looked after children

Decision : Closed after initial enquiries

Decision date : 14 Feb 2020

The Ombudsman's final decision:

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about children services actions in 2013 and 2014. Miss X has known about the complaint for more than 12 months and there are no good reasons why Miss X did not complain to the Ombudsman sooner.

The complaint

  1. Miss X complains the Council’s safeguarding lead failed to act on her submissions of child abuse in 2013 and 2014.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

  1. 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)

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

  1. I have considered Miss X’s complaint to the Ombudsman and the information she provided. I have written to Miss X with my draft decision and considered her response.

Back to top

What I found

  1. Miss X raised concerns with the Council’s safeguarding lead in 2013 and followed this up in 2014.
  2. The concerns raised related to child abuse which occurred in the 1980s.
  3. The Council has accepted that it failed to address Miss X’s concerns raised in 2013 and 2014.
  4. We cannot investigate a complaint which is about events known to Miss X for more than 12 months without good reason.
  5. Miss X was aware the Council had failed to address her concerns in 2013 and 2014. Miss X could reasonably be expected to have brought her complaint to us sooner.
  6. Miss X has provided no good reasons why she did not complain to us sooner.

Back to top

Final decision

  1. My decision is the Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. This is because Miss X has known about the complaint for more than 12 months and there are no good reasons why Miss X did not complain to the Ombudsman sooner.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman

Print this page

LGO logogram

Review your privacy settings

Required cookies

These cookies enable the website to function properly. You can only disable these by changing your browser preferences, but this will affect how the website performs.

View required cookies

Analytical cookies

Google Analytics cookies help us improve the performance of the website by understanding how visitors use the site.
We recommend you set these 'ON'.

View analytical cookies

In using Google Analytics, we do not collect or store personal information that could identify you (for example your name or address). We do not allow Google to use or share our analytics data. Google has developed a tool to help you opt out of Google Analytics cookies.

Privacy settings