Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to hold a separate Child Protection Conference for Miss X and her ex-partner. The Council has already accepted it was at fault and agreed separate review meetings. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained about the Council’s refusal to arrange a separate Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC) for her and her ex-partner. Miss X said her ex-partner was a perpetrator of domestic abuse and his presence at the conference meant she could not speak freely. Miss X feels that if the Council had held separate conferences, it would not have placed her children on a Child Protection Plan. She wants the Council to hold the ICPC again, but separately.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Ombudsman investigates 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 may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about how the Council arranged the ICPC. The Council has considered this complaint through its four stage child protection complaints procedure. The Council accepted that given the domestic abuse Miss X experienced it should have split the conference. It said it would hold all future reviews separately. Therefore, I am satisfied with the actions the Council has taken to address the fault identified.
6. At stage four the review panel considered Miss X’s view that a separate meeting would have affected the outcome of the ICPC. The panel accepted Miss X may have felt more comfortable speaking at a split-conference, however it said after observing a recording of the ICPC, it was satisfied the correct information was shared and properly considered. It decided the multi-agency decision to place the children on a child protection plan was not affected.
7. Although Miss X is unhappy with that response, we will not investigate this complaint. The Panel has fully considered the fault and whether it impacted on the outcome of the CPC. There is no evidence of fault in how it considered that Further investigation by the Ombudsman would not lead to a different outcome.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman