Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about a social worker. There are other bodies better placed to consider the accuracy or information and the officer’s conduct. We are unlikely to achieve more than a manager’s consideration of her wish for the appointed officer to be changed.

The complaint

1. Miss X says she would like the Council to change the social worker assigned to her family. She complains about their conduct and accuracy of information they have stated.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:

• there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating; or
• there is another body better placed to consider this complaint. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council’s replies to her complaints.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Miss X made five complaints to the Council between April and June 2025. She said she wanted the social worker changed. She said the social worker had used inaccurate information. She made complaints about the social worker’s conduct.
6. The Council in reply to Miss X’s complaints said:
• her comments had been passed to the social worker’s manager,
• human resources would look at her conduct complaints, and,
• the complaints’ process would not recommend a change in social worker.
7. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the social worker’s conduct. Our role is to investigate the actions of the Council as a corporate body, not to hold a single officer accountable. If Miss X has concerns about the professionalism or integrity of an individual social worker, it is reasonable to expect her to report her concerns to their professional body, Social Work England.
8. Miss X has the right to ask records are ‘rectified’. This means any factual inaccuracies are corrected. If the Council refuses to do so, she can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Parliament set up the ICO to consider data protection disputes which includes ‘right to rectification’ disputes. The ICO are better placed than us to consider if the Council should change its records particularly because there are complex exemptions for children’s case files.
9. The Council’s children services team can appoint which officer it wishes to a family. Miss X’s comments on that officer have been passed to their manager to consider. Our investigation would achieve nothing significantly more.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there are other bodies better placed, and we are unlikely to achieve more than her comments about the social worker being passed to their manager.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman