Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a safeguarding concern raised about a child. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about how the Council dealt with a safeguarding concern he raised about the care of his child.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)

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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. Mr X contacted the Council in January 2024, raising safeguarding concerns about his child whilst in the care of their mother.
6. The social worker allocated to the case considered Mr X’s concerns, reviewed background information about the family, made contact with the child’s school and mother and contacted the police. The Council concluded that the threshold for social care involvement had not been met and it would therefore take no further action.
7. Although Mr X is unhappy with the Council’s decision, we will not investigate this complaint further. That is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council considered the matter to justify our involvement. The Council considered relevant information before reaching its decision to take no further action. We cannot question the merits of the Council’s decision in the absence of fault.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman