Leeds City Council (21 004 721)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 04-Oct-2021

Summary: We have discontinued our investigation into Miss B’s complaint about delays to a special guardianship assessment. The Council has already accepted fault and offered a satisfactory remedy.

Durham County Council (21 001 062)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 26-Sep-2021

Summary: Mr and Mrs P complain about the Council’s decision to end Special Guardianship Order allowance payments for their grandchildren. There is no fault in the Council’s decision. The Ombudsman cannot question decisions made without fault.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council (20 004 148)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 22-Sep-2021

Summary: Mr Y complains the Council incorrectly decided that his sister, B, was living with him under a private family arrangement. The Ombudsman finds the Council at fault. The Council’s failure to accept a duty to accommodate B under section 20 the Children Act 1989 meant Mr Y missed out on the fostering allowance that he was eligible to receive while B lived with him. B missed out on the support that would have been available to her as a looked after child, which left her with uncertainty. To remedy the injustice caused to Mr Y and B, the Council has agreed to: apologise to them and make a payments to Mr Y for the fostering allowance he should have received and to B for the uncertainty.

London Borough of Brent (20 008 652)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 21-Sep-2021

Summary: Ms X complains the Council has failed to provide sufficient support and information, including financial support, in relation to her special guardianship. She seeks compensation and service improvements. The Council is at fault and has caused injustice. It has agreed a financial remedy, service improvement and a review of its payments to Ms X.

Norfolk County Council (21 000 187)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 19-Sep-2021

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s decision to allow his ex-partner to supervise contact between him and his children. He says the Council did not review its decision. We find fault with the Council for failing to provide Mr X with a copy of the social work assessment at the time it was completed. We have made recommendations.

Cheshire East Council (21 003 132)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 13-Sep-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council delayed responding to a request for financial support. This is because there is insufficient evidence of injustice.

Wakefield City Council (21 004 081)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Friends and family carers 09-Sep-2021

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has not provided financial support from 2010 after the complainant became responsible for looking after his grandchild. This is because it is a late complaint.

Buckinghamshire Council (21 001 765)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 06-Sep-2021

Summary: Mrs B complained about the actions of the Council in dealing with her complaint about a child protection investigation. The Council and Mrs B asked the Ombudsman to consider the complaint, as an early referral, after stage two of the procedure had been completed. We did not agree that the early referral criteria have been met. The Council has agreed to hold a stage three review panel and pay Mrs B £150 for the delay in completing stage two.

South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (19 014 213)

Statement Upheld Friends and family carers 31-Aug-2021

Summary: there was fault by the Council in its handling of Ms B’s complaint in the form of delay and lost opportunity to have the matter considered under the children’s statutory complaints procedure. There is no fault in its consideration of her requests for support which were properly conducted in the form of a number of assessments of the family’s needs.

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council (20 007 814)

Statement Not upheld Friends and family carers 25-Aug-2021

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council has not dealt properly with special guardianship payments for her grandson Y. The Council is not at fault.