Hertfordshire County Council (26 004 481)
Category : Children's care services > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 09 Aug 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of children’s services. The complaint relates to matters that happened more than 12 months ago, and it is reasonable to expect Mr X to have complained to us sooner.
The complaint
- Mr X complains social workers did not properly consider information he shared with them and were biased towards his child’s mother.
- Mr X says this caused distress.
- Mr X wants the Council to properly consider his complaint.
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 Mr X.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X said he first complained to the Council in 2024. He then sought support from another agency who chased the matter up with the Council and later involved his Member of Parliament.
- The 12-month period runs from the day the person affected had notice of the matters alleged in the complaint (i.e. the actions complained about).
- I have considered whether there are good reasons for us to exercise discretion to consider Mr X's complaint. The law, explained in paragraph five, says we should not investigate late complaints. I acknowledge Mr X's comments about why he did not raise these matters sooner, but this does not displace the expectation in law that we will not investigate.
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. The complaint is late, and it is reasonable to expect Mr X to have complained to us sooner.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the complaint is late, and it is reasonable to expect him to have complained to us sooner.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman