Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s children’s services involvement with her when she was a child and as a care leaver between 1999 and 2013. This is because the complaint is late.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains about the involvement of the Council’s children’s services with her as a child and as a care leaver between 1999 and 2013.
2. Miss X said the matter affected her mental health and caused her distress.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. 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

5. I considered information provided by the complainant.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint. The matters complained about occurred between 1999 and 2013. Miss X brought the complaint to the Ombudsman in June 2025. Miss X was aware of the matters complained about for many years. The complaint is therefore late.
8. The law says we cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. I have seen no good reasons Miss X could not have complained sooner. Therefore, we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman