Lincolnshire County Council (25 028 845)
Category : Children's care services > Looked after children
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 14 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s actions in 2014 when her child was placed in her care. The complaint is late and there are no good grounds to exercise discretion to consider it now.
The complaint
- Miss X complains she was forced by the Council to pursue a private arrangement when her daughter was placed in her care. As a result of this, she has been unable to access the funding and support she would otherwise have been entitled to under a Special Guardianship arrangement.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- 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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Miss X complained to the Council about this matter in early 2026. The Council told Miss X it would not consider her complaint via its complaints procedure. This is because it was about matters that were more than 12 months old as Miss X’s daughter was placed in her care in 2014. It signposted Miss X to this office.
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint. It lies outside our jurisdiction because it is late. The law says a complaint should be made to us within 12 months of the person affected first becoming aware of the matter. I see no good grounds to exercise discretion to consider this very late complaint now, 12 years after the events complained about.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint. It lies outside our jurisdiction because it is late and there are no good grounds to exercise discretion to consider it now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman