Ms X complained to the Council in March 2021about the actions of its Children’s Social Services Department but, despite having chased its response a number of times, she was yet to receive a reply The Ombudsman was concerned about the length of time it was taking for the Council to conclude an investigation into what appeared to be a serious child protection/care complaint. He therefore contacted the Council and it agreed to undertake the following in settlement of Ms X’s complaint, as an alternative to investigation: 1. Conclude and issue its Stage 2 report no later than 31 December 2021.
2. Issue a time and trouble payment of £250.00 no later than 30 January 2022.
3. Offer its apologies to Ms X for the poor handling of such a serious matter.