Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the conduct of an Initial Child Protection Conference. The faults in procedure were unlikely to have affected the outcome, so any injustice caused to Mrs X is not enough to warrant our further involvement.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complained of several procedural failings by the Council in arranging and conducting an Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC), which decided her children should be subject to Child Protection Plans.

Back to top

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)).
 

3. Under our information sharing agreement, we will share this decision with the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

6. There was some fault in the organisation of the ICPC. The most notable aspect of that was a failure to provide an advocate for Mrs X. The Council confirmed this is its response to Mrs X, and said it would arrange advocates for her and her children at the review child protection conference (RCPC) that would follow.
7. The record of the ICPC is detailed. The concerns raised were sufficient that the ICPC could decide child protection plans were necessary. The administrative fault that occurred and that Mrs X has alleged would not have been sufficient to have affected the outcome. That Mrs X and her partner disagreed with the views of professionals is not evidence that the decision itself was faulty.
8. Any injustice not directly connected to the outcome of the ICPC is not sufficient to warrant investigation.

Back to top

Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence that the fault found and alleged caused sufficient injustice to warrant our further involvement.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman