Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to contact the complainant about the welfare of his children. This is because he is unlikely to find fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I shall call Mr X, has complained that the Council has not been in contact with him regarding the welfare of his children.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe it is unlikely we would find fault.

the (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I have considered Mr X’s complaint and the Council’s responses. I invited Mr X to comment on a draft of this decision.

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What I found

4. The Council was contacted in November 2019 after the police were involved in a domestic incident at the home Mr X shared with his children and their mother, Ms Y. Ms Y left the property following the incident.
5. The Council made enquiries and a Child Social Work Assessment was carried out. Following the assessment further support was recommended through the Council’s Early Help Team. Mr X has complained about how the Council has dealt with the matter. He says it has not been in contact with him regarding the welfare of his children.

Assessment

6. I will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to contact him about the welfare of his children. This is because I am unlikely to find fault by the Council.
7. Mr X sent the Council many emails following the incident in 2019. I understand Mr X says the Council has not been in contact with him about his children. But I can see that the Council did respond to his concerns and explained the process regarding his children and its involvement. The Council also tried to engage with Mr X during its Child Social Work Assessment. Therefore, it is unlikely I could find fault in this regard.
8. Mr X’s children are now being supported by the Council’s Early Help Team and the Council says Mr X can contact that service and be involved with the work they are doing in relation to the welfare of his children.

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Final decision

9. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. This is because he is unlikely to find fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman