The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about information that the Council provided during court proceedings. The law prevents us from investigating what happened in court.
The complaint
Mr X complains about information that the Council’s children’s services provided during court proceedings to determine the care of his child.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
We cannot investigate a complaint about the start of court action or what happened in court. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5/5A, paragraph 1/3, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
I cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint. The law prevents us from investigating what happens in court. This includes the preparation and contents of reports provided by social workers during proceedings.
Final decision
We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint because the law prevents us from investigating what happened in court.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman