Durham County Council (21 006 764)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 14-Feb-2022

Summary: there is no fault in the Council’s decision to end Ms G’s Special Guardianship Order allowance. The Ombudsman cannot question decisions taken without fault.

Kingston Upon Hull City Council (21 013 972)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 09-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about family and friends’ allowances to her for caring for two children. It is unlikely we would find fault.

Kingston Upon Hull City Council (20 005 093)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 08-Feb-2022

Summary: Mr and Mrs K complain the Council did not treat their nephew as a looked after child, after its social worker asked them to accommodate him. That meant they did not receive a fostering allowance. The Ombudsman upholds the complaint, as we find fault with the Council’s communications and record keeping. We cannot say the Council should have treated Mr and Mrs K’s nephew as a looked after child. But the Council has agreed to our recommendation of a remedy for the uncertainty caused by the faults.

West Sussex County Council (21 014 906)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 07-Feb-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a report the Council’s children’s services produced for the courts. The law prevents us from considering complaints about matters that have been considered during court proceedings.

London Borough of Haringey (20 014 168)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 26-Jan-2022

Summary: Ms X complained the Council wrongly treated her granddaughter’s placement with her as a private arrangement and failed to provide any practical or financial support between May and October 2017. Ms X also complained the Council failed to establish her granddaughter’s status and delayed in applying for a passport and citizenship. The failings in the way the Council dealt with Z’s placement with Ms X and in the level of support it provided amount to fault. As does the delay in applying for or supporting Ms X in applying for Z’s passport. These faults have cause Ms X and Z an injustice.

Surrey County Council (20 003 450)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 17-Jan-2022

Summary: Mrs M complains the Council has not paid Special Guardianship Order allowance at the correct rate. There is no fault in the Council’s calculations.

Middlesbrough Borough Council (21 013 435)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 14-Jan-2022

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about Mrs X’s suitability to supervise or care for a child in her family. This matter is not separable from court action.

Herefordshire Council (21 011 650)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 12-Jan-2022

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions when members of the complainants’ family were taken into care. This is because the Council has agreed our recommendation to provide a remedy for part of the complaint. It is reasonable for Mr & Mrs X to raise the remaining issues with Social Work England, which is better placed to consider concerns about an individual social worker.

Derbyshire County Council (21 001 875)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 05-Jan-2022

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s treatment of him in supervising his daughter in the care of his grandchild. This would be unlikely to find further fault or achieve a greater remedy or different outcome.

Norfolk County Council (19 013 672)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 17-Dec-2021

Summary: Mr and Mrs P complain the Council did not pay fostering allowance when they cared for their grandchildren between August 2018 and October 2019. There was no fault by the Council.