Royal Borough of Greenwich (26 005 877)
Category : Children's care services > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 24 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint that the Council was at fault in the course of the production of a report for a court. By law, we cannot consider the content or preparation of court reports.
The complaint
- The complainant, Miss X, complains about the actions of the Council’s officers in the course of producing a report for the court.
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 a complaint about the start of court action or what happened in court. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5/5A, paragraph 1/3, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Miss X’s complaint concerns the conduct of the Council’s officers in the course of the production of a report completed under section 37 of the Children Act 1989. She complains about both the content of the report and the process by which it was prepared.
- Specifically, Miss X complains about an officer’s discussions with her and others about her child’s education. She further complains that the officer unnecessarily raised concerns about her mental health, and that this is reflected in the completed section 37 report.
- As part of private law proceedings involving children, the court may ask the Council to produce a section 37 report. The court will then consider the report as part of its decision making. Because section 37 reports form part of court proceedings, we have no jurisdiction to investigate their preparation or content. Miss X’s concerns relate to the Council’s actions in the course of the preparation of the section 37 report and we cannot investigate them.
- If Miss X believes the Council’s records contain inaccurate information about her, it is open to her to pursue her legal right to rectification.
Final decision
- We cannot investigate Mrs X’s complaint because we cannot consider matters relating to the production of a court report.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman