Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s communication with him regarding his child, Y, who is a looked after child. The Council has already apologised for delays in sending a report, and further investigation is unlikely to achieve a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s communication with him regarding his child, Y, who is a looked after child. Mr X says the matter caused him distress and frustration.

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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:

• there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(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 and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X has a child, Y, who is a looked after child in the care of the Council.
6. In January 2024 Mr X wrote to the Council and said it had failed to provide him with a report from a looked after child meeting regarding Y that took place in December 2023. He also said it had sent him inaccurate information about Y’s clothing and shoe size which prevented him from buying a present for Y’s birthday.
7. The Council responded and told Mr X it sent him accurate details of Y’s clothing and shoe size when he requested the information in September 2023. The Council later provided a copy of the looked after child report from the December 2023 meeting and apologised for the delay in sending the information.
8. We will not consider Mr X’s complaint about the report because the Council has already apologised for the delay and has sent a copy of the report to Mr X. Further investigation is unlikely to achieve a different outcome.
9. We will also not consider Mr X’s complaint that the Council provided him with inaccurate information about his child’s clothing and shoe size. The Council explained it checked and provided Y’s most recent measurements, and there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault, and further investigation is unlikely to achieve a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman