Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint that a social worker did not conduct a fact-finding meeting properly, but humiliated and denigrated her in front of others by aggressive questioning. The potential injustice caused would not be sufficient to warrant our involvement.

The complaint

1. Ms X said a social worker bullied, humiliated and denigrated her during a meeting. She said the worker did not give her a chance to express herself, but bombarded her with accusations and aggressive questioning. She said another social worker present complained to her manager.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate 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 continue an investigation if we decide any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. The context of this complaint was a meeting after a an 18-year-old who had been fostered by Ms X for about a year chose to leave. Ms X has said she did not get the chance to challenge what the young person said in leaving.
6. Ms X has not claimed that the Council has not sought to restrict her ongoing right to foster children, or found her unsuitable to do so, or de-registered her as a foster carer. And the matters referred to in the papers Ms X sent us did not appear to be of a nature that would usually lead to such a decision. The issue therefore is that Ms X felt bullied and humiliated by the conduct of the meeting, which she has expressed clearly and dispassionately.
7. In the absence of any consequences beyond the feelings Ms X has referred to, there is not enough potential injustice to warrant our involvement.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is not enough potential injustice arising from the Council’s actions to warrant our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman