Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has failed to include Miss X in the lives of her children and that her children have suffered abuse. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault causing Miss X a significant injustice.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains that the Council has failed to facilitate contact between her and her children, failed to keep her informed about her children and that communication from the children’s social worker has been poor. Miss X also complains that the children have suffered abuse.

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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 fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
• 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 and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. I will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council failed to promote contact between her and her children and failed to keep her informed about her children. In responding to Miss X’s complaint, the Council provided details of child protection and child in need meetings Miss X was invited to but did not attend. It also provided details of contact sessions it had arranged between Miss X and her children, found that Miss X had not attended the majority of these. There is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council has dealt with these matters.
6. There is also insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council dealt with Miss X’s claim that her children have suffered abuse. Miss X said she had evidence to support her claim. In response the Council asked her to provide this and it would investigate her claims.
7. Miss X has provided evidence that shows that there was a delay in her children’s social worker contacting her when first allocated to the case. Whilst I acknowledge that this may have been frustrating for Miss X I do not consider this alone amounts to a significant enough injustice to warrant investigation.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault causing her a significant injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman