Norfolk County Council (24 003 580)

Statement Upheld Fostering 18-Feb-2025

Summary: Mrs X complained about the standard of the Council’s safeguarding investigation under the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) process following an allegation from their former foster child. She said the process was not fair. We found some procedural fault in the LADO investigation process, but it did not cause Mrs X significant injustice or affect the outcome.

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (24 003 070)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 13-Feb-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr and Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of their child’s case before and after they adopted him. This is because an investigation would not lead to any further findings or outcomes. In addition, we cannot achieve the outcomes they want.

Reading Borough Council (24 016 843)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 10-Feb-2025

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council carried out a foster carers assessment. This is because doing so would not add to the investigation carried out by the Council and because the Information Commissioner is better placed to deal with complaints about data breaches.

Birmingham City Council (23 018 801)

Statement Upheld Fostering 28-Jan-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to ensure that his son received adequate care whilst he was placed with foster carers. We find the Council at fault for its delay handling Mr X’s complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Mr X.

London Borough of Southwark (24 003 014)

Statement Not upheld Fostering 21-Jan-2025

Summary: Mr X was a foster carer for his brother. He complained about the support he received when his brother made allegations against him and the Council ended his fostering payments. There is no fault in the support offered or the Council’s decision to end his fostering payments.

St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council (24 010 529)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 15-Jan-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her contact with her grandchild. This is because the complaint is late. We are unlikely to add anything to the investigation the Council carried out or achieve the outcome Mrs X wants, even if we exercised discretion to investigate this late complaint,

Torbay Council (24 012 890)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 13-Jan-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint the Council made false allegations about his behaviour. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

London Borough of Haringey (24 011 693)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 06-Jan-2025

Summary: We will not investigate the Council’s responses to Mr X complaining the Council is poaching carers from his private foster care agency. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. There is insufficient evidence of fault causing injustice to justify an investigation.

Middlesbrough Borough Council (23 020 396)

Statement Upheld Fostering 05-Dec-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained about the way the Council treated her and her husband as foster carers. The Council is at fault for not fully following the standards of care process and delaying its response to Mrs X’s request for a stage two investigation. This caused distress and uncertainty to Mr and Mrs X. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment and remind staff of the importance of following the full standards of care process.

Wiltshire Council (24 011 239)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Fostering 03-Dec-2024

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council is at fault in refusing to accept that is has placed a looked after child with the complainant. This is because there is no evidence of fault on the Council’s part.