Derbyshire County Council (24 016 093)
Category : Children's care services > Child protection
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 23 Dec 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the contents of an assessment. This is because we could not add to the investigation carried out by the Council and because an investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about the contents of an assessment completed by the Council’s children’s services. Mr X says the assessment was flawed, unbalanced and omitted important information. Mr X wants a new assessment to be completed.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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:
- we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
- further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained to the Council outlining each of the issues he had with the contents of the assessment. The Council investigated Mr X’s complaint and upheld some of the points she raised and agreed to make some amendments to the assessment.
- I will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. The Council has addressed Mr X’s concerns about the assessment point by point, agreeing to make some amendments where it has found fault and has fully justified why it does not consider other amendments to be necessary. Further investigation would not lead add to the one carried out by the Council or achieve a different outcome.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because further investigation would not add to the investigation carried out by the Council or lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman