Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about children services’ actions. We are unlikely to add to the Council’s reply.

The complaint

1. Mr X says the Council’s children services team has been biased against him which caused the breakdown in contact with his child.

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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:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation; or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (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 Mr X and the Council’s complaint replies to him.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X made referrals to the Council’s children services team about the care given to his child Z by their mother Y. The Council considered holding an initial child protection conference. It assessed the case and decided the circumstances did not warrant it. It held child in need meetings. Mr X was invited to attend them. The Council told Mr X is had to hold separate ones for Mr X and Y because of their relationship. The Council held another in September 2024 at which it decided to end its involvement. Mr X was not invited to this meeting.
6. The Council says it has told Mr X that any contact issues he has are a private matter between him and Y. It says it has told him he can apply to court for his contact with Z to be considered and set by the Court.
7. Mr X complained to the Council in February 2025. The Council considered the complaint within its Children Act statutory complaints procedure.
8. It is has already given Mr X £150 for delays in the complaints replies. Mr X wants £1000. It offered an apology for the failure to invite him to a meeting. It found no bias against him.

Analysis

9. The law sets out a three-stage procedure for councils to follow when looking at complaints about children’s social care services.
10. The first stage of the procedure is local resolution.
11. If a complainant is not happy with a council’s stage one response, they can ask that it is considered at stage two. At this stage of the procedure, councils appoint an investigating officer to look into the complaint and an independent person who is responsible for overseeing the investigation and ensuring its independence.
12. Following the investigation, a senior manager considers it. They should then write to the complainant with a copy of the investigation report, any report from the independent person and the adjudication response.
13. If a complainant is unhappy with the outcome of the stage two investigation, they can ask for a stage three review by an independent panel.
14. The statutory children’s complaints procedure was set up to provide children, young people and those involved in their welfare with access to an independent, thorough and prompt response to their concerns. Because of this, if a council has investigated something under the statutory children’s complaint process, the Ombudsman would not normally re-investigate it.
15. Our investigation is unlikely to add to the Council’s reply.

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Final decision

16. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we are unlikely to achieve more than the Council’s complaint response.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman